Could It Be Love?
by Truebie
Summary: Tara is starting to develop certain feelings for her maker which make her uneasy. Will she come clean to Pam? How will Pam react? Could it be love?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: This is my first story for True Blood. I am really enjoying Pam and Tara's relationship and I decided to expand on it. As you will see, I borrowed some of the dialogue from S05E11 to get me started. If you like the story, I will add new chapters. English is not my first language, but I'll do my best. Looking forward to your reviews!_

* * *

Two baby vamps, Tara and Jessica, were sitting comfortably on one of the coffins in Fangtasia's dungeon.

It had been a rough week for Tara. She could still very much remember what it was like to be human and now she was on the other side. She was the predator, relishing in human blood more than once. The bloodlust was so consuming. She finally understood. She understood the pull, the desire, the lust. It was hard for her to admit it, but she started to really like the feeling of it all. She liked the power she felt when she sucked on a human's neck, drinking the precious fluid. She liked the stares she would get when she walked through Fangtasia. She wasn't the only one who was hungry. Humans were equally hungry for her, eating her up with their eyes. Her heightened senses made everything so many times better. In a way, she pitied humans for not being able to feel everything with the intensity she experienced.

She also had a rough encounter with Jessica and ended up beating her up. She was actually proud of herself for succeeding to win in an open fight against an older and more experienced vampire. And Pam was proud, too.

Pam. Out of all the vampires, Pam was her maker. The same woman who gave her best to kill Tara just a couple of days ago. And the feeling had been mutual – Tara swore to give her best to kill the sassy vampire. And now they were bound for eternity. Go figure.

Jessica couldn't miss Tara's lingering look after Pam had left them. She had seen these little tell tale signs of some kind of attraction between them, but she wasn't sure if there really was something there. She collected her courage and dropped the bomb.

„Do you like her?"

„What?" Tara was startled by the question. She wasn't even sure what Jessica was asking.

„You know, like, _like_ her." Jessica tried to explain with an emphasis and a shy smile.

Tara wished for the ground beneath her to open and swallow her right there. Was she so obvious? No, she couldn't have been. But why would Jessica ask this?

„No! Why would you even say something like that?!" She lost her composure and started fumbling. She knew in that moment she'd overreacted and that was all the confirmation Jessica needed. Still, she didn't wanna scare away the fiery baby vamp who was already taking up a defensive stance.

„I'm just asking! I...don't know that many people with a gay persuasion..." – „Gay persuasion? What do you mean?" – Tara broke in.

Even though she had been a vampire for over a year now, Jessica couldn't help but be shy when it came to these things. If she hadn't been a vampire, she would have blushed for sure.

„Well, remember when you came to Merlotte's with that girl? It looked to me like you were together. Like a couple. So I figured you were gay."

Tara flinched at the mention of Naomi. She was so sorry for the way things ended up between them. It was Pam's fault, to make it worse. Tara couldn't bear with the fact that she could be endangering Naomi's life so she drove her off. It was very hard for her to do. After a long, long time, she was happy and in love. She really loved her, but she did what she had to do."

„I'm not gay. I'm bisexual. And what does it matter, anyway? Just because I like women too, doesn't mean I have to like Pam in that way. I mean, it's weird. She's supposed to be my _mother_. How could I even think about her like that? It's fucked up." – Even as she said those words, something stirred inside of her. She knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, she knew she felt something for Pam. Something she couldn't yet decipher.

Jessica decided to take this opportunity and be the big vampire sister. She didn't know everything, but when it came to vampire business, she definitely knew more than Tara.

„No, it wouldn't be weird. It's actually very common in the vampire world. Maker/progeny relationships are, almost always, of sexual nature. At least in the beginning. I don't know why that is, but it's true."

Tara's eyes opened wide. Carefully, she tried to form her question. „So, you and Bill?" She let it hang in the air.

„No! No ,no, we never..." Jessica felt extremely embarrassed. She never thought of Bill like that. The question quite literally shocked her.

„See?" Tara said with an air of victory to her voice. „So why would it be normal for me to feel attracted to Pam?

„Well, my story is kind of different." Jessica decided to tell Tara the story of how she came to be a vampire in order to clear things up a bit. „You see, Bill didn't really wanna turn me. He was compelled to do it. It was his punishment. He had killed a vampire, Eric's employee who attacked Sookie, so the Magister decided he had to return the vampire life he had taken. I snuck out of my house to go to a party that night. It was the first time ever I did something like that. Don't get me started on my human family. Let's just say, I wasn't allowed to do anything. So I snuck out and got kidnapped. That's luck, huh?" She feel silent for a moment, remembering that night.

„I'm sorry." Tara said quietly. She really was sorry, she knew what it's like to be turned against your will.

„No, no, it's okay. It turns out, it was the best thing that could have happened. I'd never go back, even if I could." Jessica meant it. She loved being a vampire, she loved the freedom, the power, everything. „Anyway," she continued, „as you can see, my story isn't a typical one. He did it because he had to, but he felt immense grief and remorse. He thought he took away my life, even though he actually gave me one. I was 17 at the time, so maybe that played a part, too. And I was a brat, a real pain in the ass. So I can see why he didn't find me particularly attractive." She couldn't help but chuckle.

„I'm pretty sure Pam didn't wanna turn me either. We were arch enemies ten days ago. So we're in the same boat."

„Do you remember how it happened?" Jessica couldn't help but ask even though she was afraid it was still too fresh for Tara. Tara answered, nevertheless.

„No. I mean, I remember that night and I remember how I...died,", she swallowed a big lump in her throat, resolved not to be weak, „but I don't know how it came to be that Pam turned me. She wasn't there when I lost consciousness. Sookie and Lafayette were there and I'm guessing they somehow got her to turn me. I know she herself would never have done it. As I said, we hated each other."

„But you don't hate each other now." Jessica wasn't going to let it go.

„No. I don't hate her. I don't know what I feel. I can't say it's love, but it is something. She's kinda grown on me, I guess. Even though she's a real bitch most of the time, I can't help but care."

„She cares, too, you know?", Jessica quickly added. „Pam's just that way, she doesn't show her emotions, but she definitely has them. And I'm sure she's proud of you. You're doing really great."

„Thank you. I don't deserve it, though. I was a bitch to you when I was human. Why are you doing this?" Tara's eyes filled with tears. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight it much longer.

Jessica smiled. „It's okay. You were scared and you didn't understand. I wasn't gonna hold it against you, anyway. And I mean it. She cares, she really does. She just needs time. If you haven't noticed, she's not really a touchy-feely kind of person." They both chuckled and silently agreed.


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's note: I decided to give you the second chapter right away, just so I could get rid of the influence of the show. As you'll see, this one also has references from episode 11._

* * *

As Pam watched Tara work behind the bar, her mind was racing. Tara had done a very stupid thing the previous night. She killed the new sheriff, Elijah, who was a pain in the ass. He threatened to take away Pam's assets, including Tara, if she didn't comply and take part in the creation of thirty new baby vamps in area 5. No way, Pam wasn't planning on becoming a maker any time soon. She had her hands full with Tara as it was. With Eric gone, Pam was afraid she wouldn't be able to protect herself, as well as her progeny, from any threats that could come their way. The Authority would surely investigate the case of a missing sheriff.

The Authority was also the place where Eric was. She wouldn't admit it in a million years, but she felt as if everything was slowly slipping away. She couldn't control Tara, her business was failing, they were on the brink of a human/vampire war and her maker may have gone over to the dark side. Of course, she believed she knew him well enough and that he was only playing a game. She also knew how vampires became when living in nests. She could only hope he was strong enough.

And then there was this nagging feeling she had every time she set her eyes on Tara. It was a ridiculous thought, but she felt some kind of appreciation which slowly grew into attraction. Of course, Pam preferred women over men, and Tara was attractive so it shouldn't have been a surprise. But she was also her progeny. Her annoying, bitchy progeny. She shook off the thought as she saw a woman, who appeared to be in her forties, approach Tara. She looked like what you would call a classy woman. With her short red hair, distinct face, expensive jewelry and clothes, posture which exuded confidence, she looked like a perfect combination of a businesswoman and a housewife. Pam wasn't fooled, though. She knew instantly this "customer" was a vampire, an old vampire.

Tara started off with saying they were all out of Tru Blood. That didn't seem to bother the woman who proceeded to eye Tara intently. Pam felt something was wrong.

"I come here looking for my progeny. He is the sheriff of this area, Elijah Stormer." She spoke with a strong Texan accent. She sounded like she was a lot of fun, very confident and positive, in a weird way. Even a baby vamp like Tara could see it was just a mask, and there was a lot of danger looming in that same, sweet voice. She flinched as she heard the name of their, now ex, sheriff. Immediately she saw herself wielding an ancient Viking sword and taking it to Elijah's head. He was no more. It had to end like that. Tara wasn't going to run, not now when she felt like she found her true home. Even if it was a bar for fangbanging tourists.

As the threatening question reached her mind, Tara couldn't help but flinch. She also knew that Pam had picked up on it due to the increased anxiety she was feeling through their bond. Pam wasn't happy.

Still, she managed to steel herself and say, in a calm voice, "Came by here last night. We paid our taxes and he moved on."

"Oh, is that right?" The woman was obviously amused since she was practically chuckling. Tara confirmed and, in the next second, found her head slammed against the top of the bar. There was no more fun in the woman's voice as she spoke, still holding Tara's head firmly in place. "I can smell Elijah's blood on you. A maker always knows when her progeny dies. He was only one of 204, but it's still like a cold spike in your heart. Who killed him? Was it you?"

Tara found herself unable to speak. Pam had commanded her not to speak about Elijah's death so she really couldn't do anything about it. She just stared into this woman's eyes, feeling her power and feeling herself trembling under her touch. It was funny, no matter how powerful Tara felt as a vampire, she was also very aware that she was one of the weakest vampires out there. At the age of a week or so, she couldn't really do much damage to almost any vampire. Jessica had been an exception.

"It was me.", Pam drawled behind the woman. Her hand on her hip, her look completely unamused.

Quickly letting go of Tara, the redhead turned around and stormed over to Pam. "What possessed you to murder my progeny?"

"He was gettin' on my nerves." Pam purred. If the situation wasn't so serious, Tara would have busted out laughing. It was classic Pam.

Elijah's maker wasn't impressed nor amused. She snapped her fingers and five vampire guards, all armed and dressed in black, appeared and stood around the two women. Pam was handcuffed and taken out of Fangtasia. Right before she exited through the door, she gave her progeny a look full of mixed emotions. Their bond wasn't any more coherent either. Tara felt confusion, anger, resentment, but also love and care. Pam was as confused as Tara was. A moment later she heard a scream and turned around to see Jessica being escorted by guards, too. She was left standing behind the bar. All alone. Both her new vampire friend and her maker were taken away and she wasn't sure if she was going to see either of them ever again.


	3. Chapter 3

Tara looked around. Everything seemed to be the same as always. There were a couple of vamps in Fangtasia talking to fangbangers, there were dancers on poles, there was music coming out of the speakers. Her eyes were fixated on the throne. Empty throne. The same throne where her maker was sitting just moments ago. If she were still human, she would have felt nauseous. She quickly decided to empty the bar, no point in working anymore.

When the last of the customers exited the establishment and Ginger went home, Tara retreated to the office. She sat behind the desk and put her head in her hands. She broke down, shaking and sobbing. It was all her fault. If she hadn't been busy playing the badass, savior of the day Tara, Pam would have still been here.

She wanted to do something, she couldn't just sit around and act like nothing had happened. What could she do, though? She knew Pam was taken to some Authority place, but she didn't know where it was. Jessica was gone, as well as Bill and Eric. She felt alone all of a sudden. Every single vampire she knew was gone.

* * *

Pam was put in a plain cell at the Authority Headquarters. She was actually surprised to still be alive, she'd thought they'd kill her immediately. She started thinking about why she'd taken the blame for Elijah's death. Was it because of Tara? Sure, she was her progeny and she _did_ feel a certain urge to protect her. On the other hand, it's only been a week. Surely that wasn't long enough for Pam to develop any kind of feelings toward Tara.

There was another reason behind her actions. Eric. Jessica told her Eric was here and she saw this as an opportunity to get near him. If he was really a chancellor, he wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to her. If he hadn't already gone mad from living in a crazy nest, that is. She shook away that thought. Her Eric would never do something like that. He'd save her like so many times before.

He saved her life on that night when he turned her into a creature of the night. He thought of it as taking her life away, but she knew better. He gave her one - one worth living. She truly enjoyed being a vampire and she would forever be grateful to her maker for the magnificent life she had.

He would come. Deep down inside, she knew he would.

* * *

Sookie was sitting in her living room, her phone in her hand, her face in a slight shock. The sound of her doorbell ringing brought her back to here and now. She approached the door carefully. You never know what could be lurking outside, especially with Russell on the loose. She opened the door and froze. Her eyes wide, her mouth open. Tara was standing on her porch.

She looked magnificent. She never actually noticed how pretty the dark skinned girl was.

"Tara! Oh, my God! You came back!" Sookie was excited beyond belief. Her friend was back. She was so caught up in emotion that she didn't notice the desperate look on Tara's face, as well as some remnants of blood tears on her face. Without much thinking, she leaped into Tara's arms.

Tara was, quite literally, taken aback. She stumbled a couple of feet backwards, but quickly regained her balance. Unfortunately, she couldn't help but inhale sharply. Sookie's scent was enthralling. Even though she'd had quite a few fangbangers already, and smelled even more humans, she couldn't compare the way Sookie smelled to any of those. Her fangs clicked involuntarily and she took another breath. Sookie quickly jumped away, her senses finally kicking in. Her hand flew to her mouth.

"Oh, my. I'm _so_ sorry, I wasn't thinking." She said apologetically. She eyed Tara carefully, not really sure if the young vampire would be able to control herself.

Tara wasn't sure either. All she could do was stare at Sookie, while her sweet scent filled her nostrils and the sound of her heart beating made love to her ears. Clenching her fists, she turned around and walked to the far end of the porch.

"_Calm down. You can do this. This is Sookie. Calm _down_."_

It took her a couple of minutes to regain composure, but somehow she made it. She turned around and saw Sookie, still standing in front of the door, fear evident in her eyes.

"Sorry," managing to retract her fangs, she continued. "I'm…hungry. With Tru Blood factories being blown up and all, I haven't been eating properly. And you smell…delicious."

Sookie cringed at the last remark. Sure, she'd received that same compliment many times from many vampires, but it was weird coming from her best friend. Tara caught that little flinch and quickly continued.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you. I can't, remember? Pam forbade me to bite you and Lafayette that night. I can't go against a maker's command, no matter how compelling your blood might be. So you can relax."

Sookie flashed back to that night and her shoulders visibly relaxed as soon as she remembered Pam issuing the command. Still, she wasn't willing to push her luck. Tara was a very young vampire, after all. She was a vampire because of her. In a desperate attempt to save Sookie's life, she lost her own. Sookie couldn't bear the thought of losing her. Not after everything they'd been through and not like that. Still, a part of her regretted that decision. She knew how much Tara had hated vampires and now she ended up being one of them. Sookie would never forget the mix of hurt and anger in Tara's eyes as she said she'd never forgive her and Lafayette.

She was here now, though. Her friend was standing on her porch, talking to her. Nothing else mattered.

"Tara, are you okay? What happened?" She said after finally noticing poorly wiped red streaks along Tara's face.

"They took Pam." She said simply.

"What? Who?"

"The Authority, I guess. I did something and she took the blame for me and now she's gone." Tara looked desperate.

"Wait a minute. _Pam_ took blame for something _you_ did? You sure?" Sookie couldn't hide the surprise in her voice. She found it hard to believe that Pam she knew would do something like that.

Tara's eyes darkened at the remark. "Oh, fuck you, Sookie! Yes, she took the blame. She's my maker, for fuck's sake." She felt the rage boiling in her. These baby vamp urges were seriously starting to piss her off.

Sookie took the hint and went straight to business after that. Maybe she didn't understand it, but Tara obviously did and that was all that mattered. She saw the pain in Tara's eyes, she saw the sincere emotion.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Where did you say they took her?"

"I don't know, wherever they take their prisoners, I guess. I only found out about their existence today so I'm not much of an expert." Her desperation increased. She felt like she should have known these things. She also thought it was her fault for not asking Pam more about vampire business.

"The Authority?" Sookie's eyes flew open with realization. "Maybe it's their headquarters. Eric just called me. He escaped and he's on his way here."


	4. Chapter 4

_Author's note: I'm looking for a beta reader so if anyone's interested, feel free to PM me. I've been trying to contact some betas around here but had no luck so far, most of them are not active, I'm guessing._

_I hope you like the story despite possible mistakes it may contain. I will try my best to keep that to a minimum. I'll also try to update every couple of days. Thanks for reading and don't be shy, drop a review or two!_

* * *

Two guards came and took Pam to a big room which looked like the central room of the establishment. There was a big black table with several vampires seated behind it. There was the red head, a tall woman with long brown hair who looked like she'd been around 30 human years old when she was turned, and there was Bill. Bill Compton, that poor excuse for a vampire, standing proudly in his tailored suit, a smug smile on his face. Pam had long ago forgotten what it's like to vomit, but this scene refreshed her memory.

"Pamela." Bill took the lead immediately, that smirk never leaving his face. "Let me introduce you. This here is Rosalyn Harris," he said pointing to the red head. "She is the maker of the sheriff you so foolishly murdered." His smirk intensified. "And this is Salome Agrippa. I don't know how well you are familiar with the Christian Bible, but she is the actual Biblical Salome." He said it with such pride, almost as if he himself had made her.

Pam acknowledged their presence, but remained looking utterly unfascinated.

"Now, Pamela," Bill continued. "May I ask you how it came to be that you killed your sheriff?"

"Why Bill, or should I call you chancellor Compton now?" She arched her brow, finally a bit amused. Bill didn't fall in her trap, unfortunately. "Of course you may. As I said to miss Harris when she first asked me, he was getting' on my nerves."

Bill's face grew serious. "That is surely not an excuse to kill a member of our kind. Much less one who is your superior. You do realize the gravity of your actions?"

"Whatever. Just get it over with." She wasn't willing to play that game with him.

"As much as I would love to indulge you, we have decided to wait for your maker. He had some business to attend to, I'm afraid."

Pam's eyes shot up with hope. Bill didn't miss it. "Don't get so excited. He will not be happy with your behavior. Him being chancellor will not save you, of that you can be sure. What's more," he said with a mischievous look, "I believe it's only right for him to be the one to deliver your punishment, whatever it may be. You may return her to her cell." He said to the guards.

* * *

Tara was sitting in Sookie's living room with a bottle of warm Tru Blood in her hand. Sookie had a little stash of blood since no vampires had visited her lately. Sookie was sitting across from her, eyeing her carefully.

"Spit it out, Sookie." Tara was tired of the nervous faery.

"I just…wanted to ask you how you've been. I mean, I know you're worried about Pam right now, but other than that, how are you getting used to being a…vampire?" She said the last word almost inaudibly, but Tara's ears picked up on it nevertheless.

"Cut the crap, Sook." Sookie raised her eyebrows in question, but was happy to hear Tara call her by her nickname. "I know you actually wanna know if I'm still mad at you and Lafayette for turning me."

Sookie's glance fell down, a light red color filling her cheeks. Tara took it as a confirmation and continued.

"Well, I don't know, to tell you the truth. I still feel betrayed. You knew my opinion of vampires, you knew I'd hate it and you still did it." Sookie's eyes started filling with tears as Tara's voice raised with emotion. "But, I must admit that I do kinda like it. _Kinda_. I'm getting used to it, I guess. What I'm trying to say is, it's not that bad. And I'm alive, in a way, so I guess that's good, too."

Sookie took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Wiping her tears, she replied. "I'm so sorry, Tara. I knew you wouldn't like it, but I couldn't let you die. Especially since Pam was there. I mean, there was a vampire standing in my kitchen while you were dying in my hands. I guess Lafayette and I took it a sign from God or something. We had to at least try."

"While we're at it, can you please tell me how it all happened? I don't remember anything after that bitch shot me." Tara spat out those last words, remembering Debbie Pelt.

It was time for Sookie to take yet another deep breath. She sure was breathing heavily tonight. Even though she wasn't sure about it, she decided to tell her the whole story. She deserved that much, after all.

"Okay. Debbie shot you and I managed to get her on the ground and take her shotgun. She begged for her life, but I shot her head clean off. I killed her." Sookie said this very matter-of-factly. She sounded cold and Tara was surprised by it. She allowed her to continue without saying anything.

"I took you in my arms and started screaming for help. Lafayette came down and he was out of it. We were both in shock, screaming and crying." Sookie's eyes started glistening as she remembered the feeling of losing her best friend in such a horrible way.

"All of a sudden, Pam showed up, looking for Eric. When she saw he wasn't there, she turned to leave, but Lafayette stopped her. He asked her to turn you. She refused, saying she didn't even like you." Sookie carefully looked up to Tara, but the vampire showed no emotion. She just gestured with her hand, asking Sookie to continue.

"I didn't wanna do it, I said you hated vampires, but Lafayette cut me off and started talking about you saving my life. He said I owed you. I relented in that moment and started begging Pam to turn you. She said she wasn't even sure it would work, given the extent of your head injuries. We begged her to try anyway. Finally she agreed, under the condition of me helping her get back to Eric's good graces and still owing her one. I accepted and she gave you her blood. We buried the two of you and you rose next night."

Tara fell silent, thinking about all the information she'd gotten from Sookie. It wasn't a surprise that Pam didn't want to turn her, that was expected. So she asked a couple of favors from Sookie. She couldn't really decide whether it was a good price for saving someone's life. She didn't really care. Pam obviously wasn't delighted with her new role, but Tara had to give it to her for stepping up to the plate, eventually. She saved her life when she tried to fry herself and, moreover, forbade her to ever try it again. It came down to Pam trying to kill her and then repaying it by effectively saving her life a couple of times. And she did try to be a good maker. She showed Tara how to feed properly, she gave her a place to stay and work, she gave her clothes. She also gave her a hug, one she desperately needed. Tara cherished that moment dearly. They started off rocky, but Tara felt like they were on a good way of having a good maker/progeny relationship, whatever that meant.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sookie sensed it was Lafayette. Before she could warn either of them of their pending meeting, Lafayette came in. He stopped dead in his tracks the second he saw Tara.

"Bitch, is you really here or is this motherfucker dreamin'?"

Tara rolled her eyes. She was actually amused – Lafayette always knew how to make her laugh. "Well I don't know, what do you think?"

When he didn't respond, she rolled her eyes once again and added, "Yes, Lala, I'm here. You can come closer, you know, I swear I won't eat ya."

Lafayette's face lit up with a broad smile on his lips. He missed his cousin and best friend. As far as he could remember, Tara was always there with him and now he was afraid he'd lost her forever. Sitting carefully beside her, he asked, "How you been?"

"I'm fine. Something's happened so I don't really have time to go everything over with you. We'll talk some other time." Lafayette's heart skipped a beat at the prospect of talking to her again. They would be okay, he would make sure of it. Just as he opened his mouth to respond, there was another knock on the door.

Sookie went to open it. It was Eric and another woman Sookie didn't know, though she picked up mentally that she was a vampire. Eric eyed Sookie for a moment, trying to make sure she was okay. Abruptly, he turned to Tara.

"I got your message. What happened?" He demanded with authority in his voice.

"They got Pam. The Authority. They came and arrested her."

He inhaled sharply, trying to calm the rage that was starting to boil up deep inside of him. "What?! Why?"

"Because of something I did. She took the fall for me. I can't tell you about it, she commanded me not to." Tara said sheepishly.

"Something you did. Does it have to do with the new sheriff?"

Tara nodded in confirmation.

"Wait a minute. Something _you_ did. They would only arrest her if something big happened. Like a…" He trailed off, realization coming to him. Could it really be? "Murder. You killed the sheriff?"

Tara nodded again. Eric had to admit he was impressed. The new sheriff had been 420 years old and Tara was 7 days old. He wondered how she did it, but he didn't have time to play the guessing game and Tara obviously wasn't able to weigh in.

"We need a plan." All eyes fell on Eric as the words left his mouth.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Thank you for following the story, I hope you like it. I would like to ask you to leave your reviews as you read, it would be very helpful to know your opinion as well as any suggestions you may have._

* * *

Tara was sitting on Sookie's porch. It was a nice, cool night and she enjoyed the light breeze in the air. She was alone and had time to think. Actually, it was the first time since she became a vampire that she had time to just sit and do nothing.

Her life took such a drastic turn in a matter of seconds. She could still catch herself thinking if it was all real. She was a vampire. She would live forever and her friends would grow old and die. She would never get married and have children. She would never tell stories to her grandchildren. She would never eat normal food, get drunk with her friends, watch the sunset. It was a lot to take in and accept. She knew she had to, though. She had never been a quitter, but always a fighter. She'd overcome this like everything else. Thinking back now, she was mad at herself for trying to kill herself. That was not the person she was. She was also very glad that Pam had saved her.

Her eyes glistened at the thought of Pam. How could she care for that woman? How was it even possible? Most of the time she'd treated Tara as if she were her personal slave, without an ounce of care or goodness. But she _did_ show her another side of her character and Tara became very interested in getting to know that Pam. The Pam who cared. Tara wasn't delusional. She knew Pam probably thought of showing emotions as weakness and Pam was everything but weak. It would take some time for Pam to open up and time they both had.

The door opened and Eric came out on the porch. He was truly a sight to look at. Tall, strong and beautiful, confidence and authority oozing out of him.

"May I join you?" He asked. Tara nodded and moved a bit to make space for him beside her.

He sat down and continued, looking her in the eyes. "I know you feel guilty now, but this is no time for that. We need to act, and we need to do it quickly. I've made some calls to my allies and set some things in motion. Do you wish to come with us when we go get Pam?"

"Yes! Yes, I do. Can I come? I'll do anything." Both Tara and Eric were surprised by the amount of emotion emanating from Tara's words. She really did care. Eric thought Tara could be a great addition to his family, if only she would be trained properly and learned to control her temper. He had no doubt Pam would teach her well.

"Okay. It's too late now, dawn will come in an hour. I have arranged for my allies to come here tomorrow night, as soon as possible. We will regroup here and go to the Authority headquarters."

Tara nodded and, without thinking, said, "Thank you."

"No need to thank me. She's my progeny, my child. I would do anything to save her, I would give my life for hers. And I will if it comes to that. She's your maker and you have the right to be involved." He said those words matter-of-factly even though each of them carried a lot of weight.

"Who's the woman that came with you?" Tara changed the subject.

"That's Nora. She's my sister." Noticing the confusion on Tara's face, he went on to explain, "My vampire sister. We have…had the same maker." Tara caught that tense change, but didn't want to ask him about it. She was still afraid of him in a way and didn't want to push his buttons. Instead, she wanted to know more about Nora. "How old is she?"

"She was turned in 1438, so she's almost 600 years old. Godric and I were in England at the time. After meeting her, I couldn't stop thinking about her. I wouldn't say I was in love, it was more of an infatuation. Godric got to know her better and realized she was very intelligent. She was definitely a woman ahead of her time. He offered her the eternity, and she accepted."

Tara thought about what it was like to live for centuries. The thought scared her. Eric noticed it and read her mind. "Don't worry, you'll get used to it. Despite what you might think, it's not boring. Think about all the advances mankind has achieved in the last millennium. I've seen them all firsthand. It's exciting."

Tara smiled and nodded her head. She never thought Eric Northman could be so gentle and sweet. She started to see why Pam was so devoted to him.

* * *

Pam was in her cell again. Her mind was racing, trying to think of a plan, but every plan she thought of had a hole. She had to give up and count on Eric to somehow save her. She definitely wasn't ready to die and she knew her punishment would be the true death. Usually, killing a fellow vampire calls for a sentence of 5 years in silver, but she would be sentenced by the Authority, not the Magister. The Authority led by Bill Compton. She'd never been delusional and she wasn't planning on starting then. Besides, this was no ordinary vampire, this was a sheriff. She could say that he threatened or attacked her progeny, but it wouldn't do her much good, not with Elijah's maker sitting on the Council.

Bill came to her cell. He was alone, there were no guards around him. "Pam, what the hell were you thinking?" Pam couldn't help but smirk at the false worry in his voice. "Cut the crap, Compton. You're more than delighted to see me here. You have wanted to pay me back ever since Eric threw you and Lorena out of my brothel. Don't even try to deny. Well, here's your chance."

Bill shifted uncomfortably. "That is not true. Even though you did stop me from exercising my holy right. I was feeding on humans, doing exactly what I was supposed to do."

Pam chuckled. "Ah, Bill. What's with the sudden change of heart? If I remember correctly, and I do," she deadpanned, "you were an avid mainstreamer. You even made that poor Jessica live off of Tru Blood only. Until she came to us, that is."

"I admit, I was misled. Cheated by my own false conscience. Thankfully, Lilith has shown me the way and I intend to stay on it. Humans are food and nothing more." The look in his eyes confirmed that he was serious. He wasn't playing a game, he firmly believed in what he was saying.

"Now, now, Bill. You know I was never too much of a mainstreamer myself. Tru Blood tastes like shit." Pam continued. "Still, you think an open war between humans and vampires is a smart move? You don't go to war against your food, Bill. It's counterproductive. Besides, we're not as superior as you may think. You're forgetting that we're sittin' ducks during the day." Pam really was interested in his view.

"They cannot win against us! We were made in God's image! And Lilith spoke to us. We cannot lose, Pam." Bill was visibly shaken up. He hated someone undermining his authority. Pam realized that he was so consumed by the power he seemed to have, she saw no point in continuing the discussion.

"Yeah, whatever. Why are you here?"

"I came to see how you were." Pam raised an eyebrow. Bill, always a true Southern gentleman.

"Despite what you might think, Pam, this is not easy for me. Your maker is a member on the Council. But I have to do what I have to do. We must make an example before others start rebelling the way you did. I'm sorry, Pam. Tomorrow is your last night on Earth." He turned on his heel and left.


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Those who read the Southern Vampire Mysteries will recognize the vampires in this chapter. It's a little nod to C. Harris and the beautiful world she has created._

* * *

_Last night on Eart my ass, Compton. You can pray to your precious little Lilith that I don't get my hands on you. I'd make sure you met your maker, be it Lilith, Lorena or whatever kind of twisted creature put you on Earth, and I'd make sure the meeting was in Hell._

Despite the rage she felt was slowly consuming her whole body, Pam couldn't help but feel hopeless as she sat on the bed in her cell. Bill said Eric wasn't there, but he made it seem like he was still loyal to them, simply doing some business elsewhere. Pam put her hand on her chest, above the place where her bond with her maker had been buzzing for over a century, until it was silenced forever a couple of days ago. She'd give anything to be able to feel him, to be able to sense his mood and emotions. Deep down inside, she knew her Eric would never abandon or betray her, but the situation she found herself in made her feel uncertain. Pam hated being uncertain or weak and now she felt both and more.

How did this all happen? She could still remember the time when everything was great, when she enjoyed her life to the fullest. She was by her maker's side, the only man she ever loved, in every way possible. They started a business together after the Revelation and it thrived like anything else they put their mind to. Fangtasia was her idea actually. She knew that humans, weak as they are, would crawl on their knees just to be in the presence of higher beings such as vampires. She was sure vampires were on a higher level than humans. They weren't consumed by their emotions and by what was expected of them, they didn't worry about rules, they had no fear. And yet, in that very moment, Pam felt more human than she had even when she'd been one. She was an emotional wreck. Of course, it didn't show on the outside, which was impeccable as always, but inside she was a mess.

She couldn't help but think of everything she'd been through with Eric, all the fun they had. He opened her eyes and showed her a world beyond her wildest dreams. They were the true gods on Earth. No one was strong enough to be a threat to them, they were the ultimate predators who took what they wanted, when they wanted. And now she was sitting in a cell waiting for her second death, one that would be final.

As she felt the pull of dawn and the rising sun, an image of Tara came to her mind. She was a royal pain in the ass and she was the one who got her in all this mess in the first place. Pam was still unable to fully explain to herself why she'd taken the fall for her annoying spawn. She tried to reason, convince herself that it was because of Eric, but it wasn't, not really. She had no way of knowing where Rosalyn would take her. The Authority surely had numerous buildings all across the country and the chance that she'd be taken right to Eric was a slim one at best. No, as much as she hated the thought of it, she did it for Tara, her child. She felt sadness when she realized she may not be there to teach and train Tara, she may not be there to see her child become worthy of her bloodline.

As Pam's eyes closed, she felt determination. She would not go down, not without a fight. And if she had to go down, she'd make sure to pull that pathetic excuse for a vampire, camouflaged in a Southern gentleman, right down with her.

* * *

Half an hour after sundown, Sookie's house was crowded with vampires. She'd given Eric permission to use her living room as headquarters so she couldn't really complain. What would Gran say? She'd been the one who taught Sookie the ways of Southern hospitality. No, Sookie made sure her guests had everything they needed. They weren't really needy, they just required Tru Blood. She was out of stock in no time and her guests made it clear they would need human donors in order to grow their strength for the upcoming battle. Sookie didn't like the thought of that, but Eric assured her this business, as he called it, would be dealt with elsewhere. She was fine with that. She didn't know how she'd cram more people in her house anyway.

* * *

All in all, there were 20 new vampires in her home. Eric, Tara and Nora meant that there would be 23 vampires attacking the Authority headquarters that night. Eric had called in some favors and his allies came to his aid. Sookie actually liked that aspect of vampires. Most of them were true to their word which was something she valued in humans, but as it often turned out, it was hard to find.

One of the first to come in that night was Isabel. Sookie new Isabel from Dallas. She'd been Godric's second in command and now, after his death, sheriff of Area 9. Thanks to Bill, Sookie knew a bit about the beautiful vampire. Originally from Spain, Isabel was turned in 1551. Her grandmother had been Isabela I, Queen of Castille and Leon. From the moment Sookie first laid eyes on her, she thought Isabel had such grace and class to her, as if she was royalty. It was obvious where that came from. Isabel brought with her 16 vampires from area 9 who would help their cause.

Then there was Thalia. Eric informed Sookie that Thalia was even older than himself. She was of Greek descent, small in frame, but a formidable and ruthless enemy, widely known in the vampire community.

Palomino was also there. This was not her real name, but everyone knew her by that nickname. Eric was unsure of her age, but he presumed she was around 500 years old. As Thalia, she resided in Shreveport and made occasional appearances at Fangtasia.

The guest of honor came last. Bubba. Eric had warned both Sookie and Tara how to act around him. Something went wrong during his transformation so he was a bit different, you might say. Despite his young age, he was an excellent tracker and very useful in fight. His food of choice were cats, much to dismay of all vampires. He also hated being called by his real name, much less being asked to sing. Sometimes he would put on a little show, though, and these were always nights to remember. Yes, Elvis Presley, the King himself, was sitting in Sookie's living room. It was the first time in Sookie's life that she felt star struck. Bubba had been under special protection of all monarchs since his transformation and Eric planned to use that. Bill could never get away with killing Bubba.

* * *

Eric was also heavily relying on the fact that Bill suspected nothing of him and thought he was on his assignment. That was the crucial part of the whole plan. Eric was to enter the building and then, in the right moment, discreetly let everyone else in. If Bill somehow found out about Eric's betrayal, everything would fall apart and they would lose Pam for certain. Eric couldn't bear that thought and was determined to do everything in his power to save his child.

As he thought about Pam, Eric turned his gaze to Tara, who was standing a couple of feet away from him. She also had a determined look on her face and only one goal – saving her maker. She showed no fear and acted as equal among other vampires, participating in all the planning, despite all of them being much older than her. Eric liked that. She had been a proud human and she was definitely a proud vampire, one who wouldn't allow anyone to walk over her. She reminded him of Pam and he chuckled inwardly at the thought. Fate truly was a strange thing.

* * *

Sookie wasn't sure whether to be relieved or angry at Eric for not letting her go with them. He said it was too dangerous and that his vampire allies were enough. In the end, she had to give up and let him do this in his own way. Exactly half an hour after they all assembled in her house, Sookie's vampire guests left for their adventure, as some of them called it. As she closed the door, she couldn't help but feel worried. She wasn't used to not being involved in such matters and she felt oddly human, after a long time.

* * *

Five hours later, Eric opened the front door and walked in, not bothering to knock. He was covered in blood, but there were no visible injuries on him. Sookie immediately rose to her feet.

"What happened? Where are the rest?" Are you okay?" She was definitely growing more nervous as she started bombarding him with questions. "Where's Tara? And Pam? Nora?"

"Tara and Pam are on the porch, they're okay, they'll come in later." He said solemnly. "I'm afraid my sister didn't make it." With those words, red tears started rolling down his cheeks.

* * *

_A/N: I just want to let you all know that we will be revisiting the battle trough flashbacks. All of you who were eager to see how it played out will be able to do so in the next chapter._

_Also, now that Pam is home, chapters will begin to heavily revolve around her and Tara. We're about to finally sink our fangs into their, not so simple, relationship._

_I hope you like the story and I hope to see more of your reviews. _

_Also, I started writing another Pam-centric story, this one of lighter and more humorous nature. Fell free to go to my profile and check it out.  
_


	7. Chapter 7

_A/N: I wrote this chapter a couple of days ago and was surprised to see that I wrote Pam and Tara's reunion in the same way as it happened on the show. That's why I decided to change it up a bit. This chapter is much longer than the others, I hope you like it all the same._

_Thank you for your wonderful reviews!_

* * *

Tara and Pam were sitting on the porch, hand in hand, Tara's head on Pam's shoulder. They were silently watching as the cool November wind spread fallen leaves all around the yard. Neither one wanted to talk, neither one wanted to move. They were comfortable just as they were. They could have lost so much that night.

Tara kept thinking how it actually started off well, completely according to the plan. They all went to the Authority in two black vans, one driven by Eric and the other by Nora. When they came to the gate, Eric told the guard they were returning from their mission with a surprise present for chancellor Compton. The guard, of course, checked the back of each van and demanded to know why there were tied up vampires there. Eric simply chuckled and explained that they were parts of the mainstreaming movement and that they were to be made an example of.

Yes, it was that easy to go in. Tara still couldn't believe it. What came next seemed even easier. They parked in an underground garage so they were practically already in the building, inside its walls. Eric and Nora went up and the rest of their party sat tight in the vans, waiting for a signal. Of course, Eric had provided them all with blueprints of the whole complex as well as an estimated number of guards. There were definitely more human than vampire guards. They had all been glamoured into complete servitude and would lay down their lives for Bill and his friends any time. They also carried automatic weapons filled with wooden bullets. Still, they were human with their human reflexes, and that was an immediate disadvantage in comparison to vampires.

Vampire guards were protecting the chancellors, their resting places and the shrine which held the so called Lilith's blood. Tara was in Palomino's group. Besides her, there were five more vampires and their assignment was to go and free the prisoners. Their main priority was Pam, but they also had to make sure that any humans who had been brought there as food were also set free. Other unknown vampires were to be incapacitated and also freed – Eric would deal with them later. The cells had been guarded by human guards so they figured seven vampires would be more than enough to overpower them. The rest would go up and fight the chancellors and then they would meet up. When Eric and Nora signaled that the alarm system had been shut off, as well as cameras and those who watched them incapacitated, it was game time.

Tara moved swiftly behind Palomino, surrounded by other vampires. They were well armed and connected to everyone through tiny ear pieces. The cells were on the first floor and they had no problem getting there. The humans showed minimum resistance and they were easily overpowered. As they entered the hallway which stretched along numerous cells, they were attacked by five humans who immediately started shooting. The vampires returned the fire, but one of them met the true death. He had been standing mere inches beside Tara. It definitely was a close call.

Tara quickly searched the cells and found Pam's. Pam's eyes were wide with surprise, both from the shooting and from the sight of Tara.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm getting you outta here." Tara deadpanned.

"Okay, then get me out." Pam returned in a confused tone.

"I can't. The doors are locked. If I opened them now, it would trigger the alarm system. We have to wait until Eric and Nora disable it and unlock the cells from the control room."

Pam raised an eyebrow, surprised by the way Tara was talking. She sounded like she was almost bored, like this was something she did every day, disarming alarms and stuff. Pam also caught an unfamiliar name.

"Nora? Who's Nora?"

"Eric's sister."

Pam's eyes opened even wider. "He has a sister? A vampire sister? Are you sure?"

"You didn't know?" Tara asked, surprised by that turn of events. "Why didn't he tell you? Yes, she's like 600 hundred years old, she's from England and she was one of the chancellors here so she knows how to disable the system and all of that. She helped build it."

Just as Pam was about to open her mouth to speak, the lights went out and a click sound was heard in all the cell doors. The lights came back and Eric confirmed that the doors were unlocked.

Tara responded immediately, grabbing the silver handle of the door and pulling them open. As the silver sizzled, she couldn't help but shriek. It hurt like hell. Pam was watching her with surprise written all over her face. She definitely hadn't expected that. Before she could realize what was happening, Tara had her arms around her and was hugging her tightly. She was even more surprised by her own actions when she hugged Tara back. They stood like that for what seemed like minutes, just holding each other.

* * *

Pam felt comfortable sitting next to Tara, enjoying the cool November night. She felt peace and satisfaction coming from Tara's end of the bond. That was also pretty much how she herself felt. She couldn't believe that she would get so upset at the prospect of losing her and that it would feel so good just to hold her. The very thought of what could have happened sent a shiver through her body.

Breaking their hug felt awkward because they just stood there watching each other. They both felt like they should say something, but neither of them did. Thankfully, Eric's voice inside Tara's ear broke the awkward silence.

"Did you get her?" He demanded.

"Yeah. She's here and she's okay." Tara said, still looking at Pam intently.

"Okay. Get the others and come to the third floor. Thalia and Isabel have them surrounded, but they're putting up quite a resistance."

"Sure thing, boss." That drew a smile from Pam. Her progeny and her maker coming together in order to save the day. Who would have thought.

Their way up to the third floor went well, there wasn't a single guard in their path. Slowly, they opened the door to the big central room of the establishment and froze for a moment. The room was covered in blood. There were still about twenty vampire guards left, gathered around the chancellors. The guards carried swords and daggers, rather than automatic weapons as their human counterparts. They looked very formidable as they carefully eyed the vampires in Eric's party. Pam instinctively stood in front of Tara and held her hand back so as not to allow her to come to the front. All of the chancellors were still alive and Jessica was with them. Bill was holding her tightly while she trashed, cried and begged him to stop all the madness. He looked too mad to care and ordered her to calm down. Sadly, she complied immediately.

After a couple of more moments of carefully eyeing the group in the middle, Eric shouted. "Now!"

What happened next, happened in a blur. There was a lot of yelling as well as a lot of blood. Wherever she looked, Pam could see a vampire die in a violent splash of blood and she prayed Eric wouldn't be one of them. She managed to kill two vampires who came at her at the same time, but then she felt something cold against her back and froze immediately. It was Rosalyn.

"Hi, Pamela. We meet again. It will be my big pleasure to kill you. I'm sorry I have to ruin your clothes, I quite like them." She drawled in her Texan accent. All of sudden, in a blur of movement, she was knocked off balance. Instinctively, she pushed the stake she had in her hand and felt it pierce flesh.

"No!" Pam screamed as she saw Tara standing in front of Rosalyn, a stake shoved deep in her stomach. "You fucking bitch!" Pam launched herself in Rosalyn's direction, who desperately tried to pull her stake out of Tara in order to turn around and face Pam with it. With her last ounce of strength in that moment, Tara clutched Rosalyn's hand tightly. Of course, Rosalyn had been a lot stronger than Tara, but she was caught off guard and Tara's action surprised her. It was more than enough for Pam to jump on her and, in a swift movement of her hands, literally rip her head off.

Pam sunk to her knees and put Tara's head in her lap.

"Motherfucker!" Tara exclaimed. "Of, fuck, that hurts!"

Despite their regeneration abilities, vampires felt pain as much as humans did. And Rosalyn pushed the stake so deep in Tara's stomach that it almost exited on the other side. It was a very serious, deep wound and it would take some time for it to heal.

Eric appeared next to them.

"Get her out of here!" He shouted, carefully monitoring their surroundings for any immediate threat. "Take her down to the garage and wait for us there." With that, he was gone.

Pam picked up Tara in her arms and vamp sped out of the room. On her way down, she came across a human guard who was still alive, but didn't have much time left. She put Tara gently on the ground and dragged the guard to her.

"Drink." She ordered.

Tara looked at her with pain written all over her face. There was also a question in her eyes.

"You have to drink. You'll heal either way, but this wound will take a lot of time to heal on its own and you'll lose a lot of blood in the process ." She was growing impatient. Putting the guard's wrist against Tara's mouth, she shouted once more. "Drink!"

Tara complied and sunk her fangs into the soft flesh. As soon as the blood hit her tongue, she started feeling better. She also felt her wound close. Afterwards, Pam took her in her arms again, even though Tara was perfectly able to walk, and carried her down to the garage.

* * *

"Oh my God, Tara could have died!" Sookie exclaimed when Eric told her about Rosalyn's death. He simply nodded and continued his story.

"As I turned around, I saw Nora kill Salome. She sneaked up on her while she was fighting two of our vampires and put a stake through her heart. I knew it was hard for her, she'd spent the last 400 years with Salome. I guess her feelings overwhelmed her and she sunk down on her knees, next to Salome's remains." The tone of his voice grew darker as he continued. "In a second, Russell was behind her, a murderous look on his face. I ran towards them, but…" He paused. "He was already there. And in the next moment, Nora was no more."

"Oh, Eric, I'm so sorry. It's not your fault, you couldn't have done anything." Sookie said as she gently caressed his hand.

"It is my fault, Sookie. I should have been there. I shouldn't have just stood there and watched Russell kill my sister. I should have protected her."

Sookie fell silent. She didn't agree with him, but she knew he was too stubborn and hurt to listen to her reasoning. She waited until he was ready to continue.

"Thalia and Isabel jumped on him and I took the opportunity to kill him while he was off balance."

Sookie nodded. She knew that it didn't bring him a lot of satisfaction. She knew he was grieving for his sister.

"Anyway, in that moment Bill shouted to get our attention. Jessica was sitting on the ground crying, unable to fight his command. He had two guards by his side and Bubba was in his hands. Bubba tried to fight him, but Bill is much older than him so he couldn't really do anything."

Sookie's eyes widened in horror. "Oh my God. He didn't…?" She let it hang in the air.

He shook his head. "No, he didn't kill him. He used him as leverage to get away. As I said, Bubba has enjoyed special protection since his transformation and killing him would get Bill an instant true death. He instead opted for escape. I called off everyone and tried to talk him out of it, but he didn't listen. So we let him get away. He took Jessica, too." He finished silently.

"You don't think he'd hurt Jessica, do you?" Sookie asked.

"I don't know, Sookie. I'm not sure. He's completely consumed by power and madness, I don't know what to think. I hope he won't do anything stupid."

"But what about Bubba? He didn't kill him, but I'm guessing no one will be pleased with the kidnapping, either."

Eric nodded. "Yes, it was a really stupid move. This would also call for true death, normally. I don't know what he's planning to do and how he means to get out of this mess."

"What about the Authority?"

"Well, we practically killed the Authority tonight." He said with the smallest of smirks. "I'll call the monarchs and explain the situation to them. I'll leave it to them to decide what they want to do, I wish no part of it."

Sookie stiffened. "Do you think they'll punish you?"

He shook his head. "No. The Authority undermined everything we have worked hard for since the Revelation. Not to mention the bombings of Tru Blood factories. I think they'll be glad we got rid of them. Besides, Isabel and Thalia both survived and they are well respected by the monarchs. Actually, aside of a couple of Dallas vampires that came with Isabel, we suffered no casualties. I think it will be fine."

* * *

"Don't ever do something stupid like that, you hear?" Pam broke the silence on the porch.

Tara looked up at her. "You would be dead if I didn't do it."

Pam sighed. Tara was right. Rosalyn had her tightly in her grip and there was no way Pam could have overpowered her given the age difference between them.

"I know." She responded. "But what if that stake went just a couple of inches higher?"

"Well, it didn't so it doesn't matter." Tara replied matter of factly.

Pam couldn't help but smile. Tara really reminded her of herself in a lot of ways. "Thank you." She said silently.

Tara looked deep in her eyes. "You don't have to thank me, Pam. You're my maker."

The word "maker" hit Pam like a ton of bricks. Yes, she definitely was a maker, Tara's maker. And her progeny saved her life that night. Suddenly, a resolved look spread across her face.

"Tell you what. Eric said we'd be closing Fangtasia for a couple of days. What do you say we go to one of my safe houses for a little vacation?"

Tara smiled with a smile that reached her eyes and lit them up. "I'd love that."

Pam returned the smile. "We have a little more than three hours left till dawn. We better get going if we plan on having any fun tonight."

* * *

_A/N: Just wanted to say that I'm over the moon with what happened on True Blood. I'm so happy they kissed._

_Anyway, chapter 8 just needs some finishing touches, I promise not to keep you waiting long. I'm sure you want to know what happens at Pam's house. ;)_


	8. Chapter 8

**Warning**: The following chapter contains M rated sexual content.

_A/N: So here it is, guys. I wanted to keep you waiting for a while longer, but my Tumblr readers (especially one of them, hi honey!) were very persuasive. Given the nature of this chapter, I REALLY need you to review it. And thank you for the reviews I've received so far, they are really encouraging. I hope you enjoy the chapter._

* * *

They arrived at Pam's house. It was a typical suburban house in a typical suburban neighborhood. As soon as they came in, Pam spoke.

"You can look around if you want. Bedrooms are upstairs. Mine is the first one on the left, you can choose between the others. They're all light tight and shutters will close automatically when dawn approaches. I'm off to take a bath."

Tara nodded. It really was a typical house. A small kitchen with a dining area, a living room and a library. Of course, vampires had no need of kitchens beside a refrigerator and a microwave, so it was convenient that it was small. When she discovered the library, Tara was surprised with the amount of books on the shelves. She never took Pam for a reading type. Guess she was wrong.

She went upstairs. There were three bedrooms beside Pam's, each with an adjoining bathroom. They also had walk in closets. This was definitely Pam's house. She took the first one on the right and decided to take a shower. Feeling the hot water run down her body was great. She needed to relax after the ordeal they'd went through that night. Tara almost lost her maker and she almost died. Again. Thankfully, Pam was just across the hall, safe, and so was she.

She put on a pair of clean cotton panties and a red Fangtasia t-shirt. It was too big, but it was very comfortable and she got used to sleeping in it. She couldn't go to bed, though, it was much too early for that.

* * *

There was a slight knock on the door and Pam knew it was Tara. Who else would it be? She was just getting out of her big tub so she yelled "Come in! Be there in a sec." She put a big white towel around her body and wrapped another one around her head to dry her hair.

Exiting the bathroom, she saw Tara on her bed, sitting against the headboard.

"Well, aren't you comfortable?" Pam said as the smallest of smiles played on her lips.

Tara padded the bed beside her as an invitation for Pam to join her. "Can we talk?"

"Sure." Pam sighed as she positioned herself next to Tara.

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Tara began. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"

Pam looked at Tara with a confused look on her face. "What does?"

"The way I make you feel." Tara said not missing a beat.

"What exactly are you getting at, Tara?" Pam tried to ask in a bored voice, but it shook just enough for Tara to remain confident. Pam noticed it too and chastised herself mentally for the slip up.

"What I'm getting at is the fact that you have feelings for me and it bothers you because you love being in control." Before Pam could cut her off, she continued. "Don't get all excited. I'm not saying you're in love with me or anything like that, but you do feel something and it's driving you crazy."

Well, she definitely hit the nail on the head with that one. "And you're so confident because?" She deadpanned and even managed to sound convincing.

"Because I can feel you through the bond. And I've seen the way you look at me. It actually bothers you so much that you couldn't even praise me for the way I kicked Jessica's ass, you had to throw in the dog comment." The tone of her voice was slightly hurt as she said that last sentence.

"So that's what this is about. I hurt your feelings? You wanted me to clap my hands and you didn't get it so you're mad?" Pam thought this would get her off the hook, but Tara wasn't having any of that.

"Oh, shut up." This got her a dangerous look from Pam. She continued anyway. "Yes, Pam, I know you're a bitch and you love being a bitch, but that's not really all you are. What I don't get is why you keep pushing that part of you when I know there's much more beneath it. Why can't you just be nice?"

"I don't do nice, Tara." Pam responded.

"See? There it is again. I ask you a perfectly normal question and you hide behind your attitude. It doesn't work on me, Pam."

"So, what you're saying is?" Pam asked.

"That you've met your match." Tara deadpanned.

Pam laughed. She couldn't remember the last time she laughed as sincere and heartily as she did then, but it felt good, it felt liberating. Tara was right, of course, but she wasn't about to give her that satisfaction. Besides, Pam wasn't ready to put into words what she was feeling. But she definitely did meet her match and the prospect excited her.

"What's so funny?" Tara asked with a pout.

Calming down, Pam answered. "You. The way you talk to me. No one ever gets away with that. Hell, those who even try are a very rare occurrence. And yet, I find you intriguing. Your lack of fear interests me."

"Why would I be afraid of you?" Tara asked honestly.

Pam actually giggled upon hearing those words. "Seriously? Because I'm over a hundred times your age and I could hurt you in a second. You wouldn't even know what hit you." She said confidently, the predator inside of her taking over.

"Again, _why_ would I be afraid of you? I know that you _can_ and I also know that you _won't_."

This put Pam completely off track. She couldn't believe the things she was letting Tara get away with.

"And what makes you so sure?"

"You're my maker. It would be kinda stupid and weird if you wanted to torture your own progeny, you know. And then there's the fact that I saved your ass today, twice." She smiled and added, full of confidence. "And then there's the fact that you like me."

Pam would have probably blushed in that moment if she were able to.

"Like you? What do you mean I like you?" She asked incredulously, but failed miserably at sounding convincing.

A victory smirk spread across Tara's face. "You like me in every way possible. And you want me."

Instead of answering in her usual snarky way, Pam took a moment to think about what she was about to say. It was very true that she wanted Tara. She knew how to appreciate a good looking woman and Tara definitely was one of them. But Tara also had that something about her, that bitchiness which paralleled Pam's in so many ways and made everything fun.

* * *

Suddenly, Tara took Pam's face in her hands and drew her in for a kiss. Pam was shocked for a moment but quickly gave in. No point in thinking about it, her beautiful progeny was kissing her and it was time for some action. She put her hand at the back of Tara's head and parted her lips. It didn't take long for Tara's tongue to slip into Pam's mouth. Shyly at first, but it soon turned into a real assault. A couple of moans escaped both of them as they eagerly tasted each other.

"You see?" Tara smiled into Pam's mouth. "Just give in." With that, she joined their lips again.

Pam wanted to take the initiative, it came naturally to her since it was her usual role. As their tongues danced, her free hand started roaming Tara's body. As her hand slipped underneath Tara's shirt, Tara straddled her, giving her better access. Tara removed the towel from Pam's head and tangled her fingers in her wet hair. She was losing herself completely to their passionate kiss. As Pam's hand reached her breast, she couldn't help but moan. "Oh, God."

"Pam will be enough." Pam replied confidently, getting an instant smile from her. Taking the opportunity, she quickly rid Tara of her shirt and took in the sight of her nakedness. A true chocolate goddess was sitting on top of her. Her breasts were perfectly sized for Pam's expert hands. She tasted one of the nipples, while slowly massaging the other one. They stiffened immediately. Tara's head fell back as the sensation of Pam's wet tongue on her nipple sent shivers through her body. She couldn't even make a sound, she just kept breathing heavily, even though she didn't have to. Suddenly, with a click, her fangs descended fully. Pam smirked against her chest, knowing that her progeny was completely on fire. She alternated between circling the brown nub with her tongue and sucking hard on it. Tara's whimpering, as well as the way she was gripping Pam's hair, were very encouraging. Pam decided to give her a moment to regain composure and looked up.

"Like it so far?"

"Oh, yes. Come here." With that, Tara pulled Pam in for another fiery kiss. Pam kept massaging Tara's breasts, who kept letting out silent moans against her maker's mouth. Unconsciously, she started moving her hips, grinding against Pam's towel. She quite enjoyed the sensation, which was confirmed by another moan. That movement was also responsible for Pam's towel coming undone and slipping from her upper body. Sensing what happened, Tara unlocked their lips and looked down. She immediately put her hands on Pam's breasts and looked at her.

"They're beautiful."

Pam responded with a guttural growl as Tara pinched both of her nipples at the same time. That was also the moment when her fangs clicked. Tara could have sworn she saw an actual twinkle of fire in Pam's deep blue eyes. Not being able to wait a second longer, she lowered her head and started kissing Pam along her jaw line, slowly descending to her neck. She licked her artery and lightly scraped the area with her fangs.

"Can I bite?" She asked while breathing down Pam's neck.

"Yes, but not yet." She paused and then proceeded as her voice cracked. "And not there."

Tara smirked, immediately picking up on what Pam meant.

Pam was actually very surprised. She definitely hadn't expected to be this turned on by Tara. Yes, she was very attractive, but there had been numerous attractive women Pam had bedded before her, both human and vampire. Besides, Pam was usually the dominant one, as with everything in her life. Now she was letting her progeny take the lead, she gave her complete control and it actually felt good. Hell, it felt fantastic. She wasn't able to dwell on these thoughts for too long because she was busy repositioning herself the way _Tara_ wanted. Yep, another point goes to Tara.

Pam lowered herself from the headboard, propping herself against the pillows. This angle gave Tara more room for exploration, which she quickly resumed as soon as she settled her hips between Pam's legs. She used her tongue as she traced down the path from Pam's neck to settle between her ample vanilla breasts. She moved to the right one and started circling the nipple which was quickly hardening. Pam held her breath, which she didn't actually need, but she found it hard not to breathe in these situations, in anticipation of Tara's teeth. As if reading her mind, Tara complied and lightly squeezed the hard nub between her front blunt teeth, carefully so as not to pierce the skin with her fangs. This got her a growl coming from deep within Pam, who sank back into pillows as she shuddered at the sensation. Tara couldn't help but smile at her little victory, but she quickly resumed giving her full attention to both of Pam's pale mounds which rose and fell in time with their owner's heavy breathing.

Pam's whole body ached with need and she almost begged Tara to go lower. However, she controlled herself, giving Tara all the time she needed and complete access to her body. She gave in. After a long time she simply gave in and it felt so damn good.

Tara grew impatient and resumed her descent down Pam's silky skin. Of course, she traveled by tongue which got her more involuntary shudders from Pam. She stopped when she reached the towel which still enveloped Pam's lower body. Removing it, she came lips to lips with Pam's moist folds. Pam spread her legs wider in expectation of Tara's mouth on her, but Tara smiled cheekily and looked up. Pam managed to open her eyes and look into Tara's.

"What?" As soon as she said that, realization hit her. "Oh, you little bitch!" She managed through clenched teeth. "You want me to beg, don't you?" Tara grinned in response, lightly moving her fingers along Pam's inner thighs, coming ever so closely to Pam's ready center, but then moving away.

She saw how much it tortured Pam and how much she tried to resist the urge to scream and beg.

"You see, Pam, right now, you're _my_ bitch." This got her a murderous glare from Pam which disappeared as soon as Tara moved her fingers quickly over her wetness. Pam fell back on the pillows, moving her hips, desperately trying to catch Tara's fingers.

Tara laughed. "Bad girl." She slapped her inner thigh lightly. "I've got time, I'm in no hurry at all." She said as she lazily touched her pulsating nub.

All of a sudden, there came a scream from Pam. "Fuck! Okay, please. Please, Tara." She said in a voice coated equally with frustration and need.

"Please _what_?" Tara couldn't help it, this was just too precious.

Pam propped herself on her elbows, looking deeply into Tara's eyes. She was definitely frustrated, but she wouldn't give Tara all the satisfaction. She put on her determined, flirty face and said in a steady voice.

"Won't you please _fuck_ me, Tara?" Pam's sultry voice combined with the almost animalistic look in her eyes turned Tara on incredibly.

She quickly smiled and lowered her mouth to Pam's needy place. She took in all of her in long broad strokes of her tongue, desperate to taste her. Pam arched her hips to meet each of those strokes, gasping every time she felt Tara's tongue. And she tasted wonderfully.

"So sweet." Tara moaned against Pam's mound, producing vibrations which sent Pam deeper into her frenzy.

Quickly, she replaced her tongue with her fingers. Coating them in Pam's juices, she ran them all across the wanting flesh, giving most attention to the center of her pleasure. She wanted to watch Pam as she struggled beneath her touches. And struggle she did.

"You're so beautiful." Tara said as she watched her buckle against her fingers, cupping her own breasts in her hands, massaging them. Pam was unable to respond, she just sucked in more air through her teeth.

Tara lowered her finger to Pam's entrance and pushed it in, resuming her earlier tasting expedition at the same time.

"Oh, God, yes!" Pam exclaimed between her ragged breaths. Tara added another finger and started thrusting slowly, never lifting her mouth from Pam's folds. Pam clutched the sheets around her firmly, writhing in rhythm with Tara's fingers. She could feel her release building up as Tara increased the pace of her thrusts. Tara attacked her with her mouth relentlessly, sucking and licking for all she was worth.

Feeling how near she was, Pam barely managed to form one word. "Bite." With that, Tara moved to Pam's right inner thigh and sank her fangs deep into the artery that was waiting for her there. She felt Pam clamp down on her fingers immediately as waves of pleasure washed over her. Tara moaned as the thick rich blood coated her mouth. She sucked hard, still unable to remove her fingers from Pam's wet center. She licked the wound closed and turned her gaze to Pam who was still convulsing, albeit less violently. Slowly, she came to and relaxed.

Tara pulled back her fingers which were coated in Pam's release. Pam watched her as she put them in her mouth and licked them clean. With a satisfied smile on her glistening lips, she climbed on top of Pam and gave her a searing kiss. They both moaned as they relished in the taste of their union, so sweet and so right.

They kept kissing until the dawn came and pulled Tara under. Young vampires such as Tara felt the pull even before dawn came. Pam took that opportunity to take a quick shower.

Returning from the bathroom, Pam stood and took in the sight of her almost naked progeny lying on the bed. A mixture of pride and pleasure rippled through her. She laid beside her and put her arm around her sleeping beauty. Before she closed her eyes, Pam thought about returning the favor tomorrow. The thought made her smile.

* * *

_A/N: So? Did I meet the expectations? :)_


	9. Chapter 9

**Warning**: This chapter contains M rated sexual content.

_A/N: Sorry for keeping you waiting longer than usual, the coming weeks will be a bit busy for me. I will try to give you a chapter every couple of days, never the less._ _Thank you for all the wonderful reviews!_

* * *

Pam woke up three minutes before dawn. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Tara, lying peacefully on her stomach next to her. Pam's brain became flooded with images of the previous night. She definitely had a lot of fun. She also definitely needed that.

As she trailed her fingers down Tara's smooth back, she thought about what this all meant. Would Tara want a real relationship or would this be enough? Pam wasn't sure if she could give Tara everything she wanted because she wasn't sure what she wanted. It confused her and Pam hated being confused. She'd always been a straight forward person, sometimes even too much. She didn't like games unless those were her games and she was in control. She didn't like feelings. They made her feel human and that was something she had spent the last century running from. She became so preoccupied with her thoughts that she didn't notice when Tara opened her eyes.

"Evenin'" She said softly, a smile on her lips. Her eyes were dreamy. She was painfully beautiful.

"Good evening." Pam responded equally soft. Again, her own reaction surprised her. Pam didn't do soft.

Tara sat on the bed and gave Pam a small peck on the lips. Afterwards, she smiled again. Pam couldn't help but smile back. She shook her head.

"What?" Tara asked, the smile never leaving her face.

"Nothing." Pam replied. She wasn't about to pour her heart out to Tara. No, she was determined she wouldn't do that. Instead, a mischievous look appeared in her eyes. "How would you like me to return your favor?"

Tara wiggled her eyebrows playfully. "Oh, I would like that very much."

That was all the confirmation Pam needed. She would lose herself in Tara's body and, hopefully, all the other thoughts would leave her mind. For as long as she stayed in this bed with Tara, she wouldn't worry about anything than pleasing her. And there it was again. Pam wanting to please. She shook her head in disbelief and, before Tara could ask another question, locked their lips together.

She wanted to take her time so she didn't rush the kiss. No, it was a slow, mesmerizing dance of lips as Pam trailed her fingers down Tara's check affectionately. She moved from her lips to kiss her cheeks. As she heard Tara whimper at the loss of contact, she moved to her ear and whispered. "Let me do this my way."

Upon seeing a new kind of want in Pam's eyes and hearing it in her voice, Tara nodded.

Pam didn't really understand what was happening to her. She wanted Tara more than anything, she wanted to have her, but she wanted to take it slow. She wanted to worship her body, inch by inch. For the first time in a very long time, she didn't want to have sex – she wanted to make love.

She nipped on Tara's neck affectionately, enjoying the little moans her ministrations caused. She slowly descended to her breasts and cupped them with her hands. At that point, Tara's fangs descended and she let out a loud moan. She wasn't yet used to her heightened senses and Pam's touches sent ripples through her body. Every single touch threatened to send her over the edge. When Pam took one of her nipples in her mouth and slid her hand inside Tara's panties, she did go over that edge. Yes, it was all it took.

* * *

Pam smiled as she waited for Tara's orgasm to subside. When it did and Tara managed to open her eyes, she looked down at Pam. "What was that?" She asked almost inaudibly.

Pam's smile turned into a grin. "Just a little taste of what's to come."

"A _little_ taste, huh?" Tara asked incredulously.

"Yes. Ready for more?" Pam said with fire in her eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

Again, it was all the encouragement Pam needed. Her hand was still inside of Tara's panties and she started making little circles with her fingers. At the same time, she went back to tasting Tara's stiffened nipples. Tara was buckling against her body, desperate for another release, but Pam wasn't ready to give her one. Not yet, at least.

She pulled back her hand and trailed her wet fingers along Tara's body, stopping to circle her nipples, and then continuing all the way up to Tara's mouth. Tara accepted them greedily and licked them completely clean.

"So, how do you taste?" Pam asked with a smirk.

"You're gonna have to try me yourself." Tara replied confidently.

Pam's eyes flashed with even more fire. "Oh, I'll be sure to do that." She trailed her fingers back to Tara's abdomen where she proceeded to make big circles. She watched as Tara's abs flexed beneath her touch. Her skin was velvety soft, but right underneath it was Tara's hard, strong body. That combination felt great under Pam's fingers. She kissed every inch of Tara's abdomen, never ceasing to run her fingers all over it.

It felt like torture to Tara. She wanted, _needed_, Pam to go lower, to take her in her mouth, but she couldn't find her voice to express her wishes. Even the chaste kisses Pam was planting all over her body were sensual enough to leave her trembling, unable to speak.

Thankfully, Pam slowly descended down Tara's body. She reached her panties, which were soaking wet, and took them off slowly, admiring Tara's strong legs in the process. Getting rid of the little piece of clothing, she settled between Tara's thighs. She wanted to tease her longer, but she couldn't wait, she needed to taste her. Without warning, she threw herself on Tara's most wanting place and started to lick her slowly, in broad strokes. They both moaned at the same time, Tara from the sensation and Pam from the perfect taste that was coating her tongue.

She was eager to please her, but she didn't want it to end just yet. Tara whimpered in disapproval when she felt Pam's mouth leave her aching flesh. Those sounds were quickly replaced with sounds of pleasure as she felt two fingers enter her. Pam marveled at the sight of Tara's body buckling against her fingers as she slowly pushed in and out of her.

"_More_." Tara said between her ragged breaths.

Pam complied, but not in the way Tara wanted. Instead of increasing her pace, which would surely send Tara over the edge, she added another finger and continued with her slow thrusting. Tara's eyes shot open as she felt three fingers inside of her. She arched violently and gasped for air as Pam continued to slowly build up her release.

In a motion too fast for human eyes to catch, Pam changed their position. It took Tara a moment to realize what had happened. She was on her knees and Pam was beneath her with a devilish look on her face.

"Sit on me." She said in the most arousing way possible.

Tara complied immediately and lowered herself on Pam's mouth. In all honesty, she wouldn't have been able to stay on her knees anyway. Her legs felt like jello. Thankfully, Pam was supporting her weight with a firm grip on Tara's thighs from beneath her.

Tara's head flew back and her whole body arched as she felt Pam's tongue enter her. Pam pushed her tongue inside as far as possible, knowing that she could make Tara come whenever she wanted to. Instead, she took one of Tara's hands and guided it to her own throbbing mound. Tara immediately entered her with her fingers and Pam moaned against Tara's wet folds. Her fangs flashed the moment she felt Tara's fingers inside of her.

They both buckled against each other as the wonderful sensations took over their bodies and drew them near the edge.

"Look at me." Pam growled.

Tara lowered her head, never stopping to thrust into Pam, and locked their eyes together.

"_Come_ for me, Tara." Pam said seductively as she bit hard into Tara's thigh.

Tara's body literally exploded in that same second. She convulsed violently as Pam continued to draw her blood. The moment Tara's sweet blood touched her tongue, Pam's orgasm took her over.

She was unable to remove her fangs from Tara's flesh, the same way Tara couldn't stop her body from shuddering and clenching Pam's fingers tightly. Neither of them could tell how long it lasted. It seemed like hours to them.

When their orgasms finally subsided enough for them to break their contact, Tara collapsed on the bed next to Pam. They both kept looking at the ceiling, breathing sharply.

After a couple of minutes, Tara managed to say one word. "Wow."

Pam chuckled and Tara repeated it, louder and with more awe in her voice. "_Wow_."

"I know, right?" Pam said as she turned on her side to look at Tara. Tara turned her head and looked at Pam. "This was…" She trailed of, unable to think of a word that would do justice to what just happened.

"Un-fuckin-believable." Pam said, also in awe. Tara nodded and laughed in agreement.

* * *

They showered separately. Pam made a good point when she said that them showering together would lead to anything but taking an actual shower. Tara couldn't help but shiver at the thought of that. Exiting her bathroom, she went straight to Pam's bedroom and noticed she wasn't there. She heard voices downstairs.

Pam was sitting on the couch in the living room with a woman. Tara couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy at the sight of them. It lasted for a couple of moments, until she recognized the woman.

"You remember Melanie, don't you?" Pam drawled.

Melanie was the first human Tara fed on after becoming a vampire. It happened when she was three days old. It was quite an accomplishment that she managed to wait that long, especially because she came across a woman on her second day and was able to refrain herself. She refused to feed on Melanie, but Pam wasn't having any of that and used her maker's command in order to compel Tara to bite the girl. It worked like a charm, of course.

It was also the first time Pam showed signs of affection towards her. Tara could vividly remember how Pam caressed her as she fed on Melanie, how she told her that no human could hurt her anymore. It was a big thing for Pam, it was her way of showing feelings.

"Yes, I do." Tara said with a little smirk. The truth was, Tara didn't really mind that Pam made her feed on Melanie. She was a vampire, after all, and it felt so good. Besides, with Tru Blood factories still not working, Tara was feeling quite hungry. Especially after her adventures in Pam's bedroom.

She glided gracefully over the room and sat on the opposite side of Melanie, who was now between her and Pam. Melanie was surprised by her behavior, she expected Tara to be apprehensive about feeding on her. Of course, she was happy that wasn't the case – she was a fangbanger, after all.

Tara didn't really register Melanie, she was watching Pam intently. They were both smirking and Tara wanted to make a little show of her feeding. She was really in the mood whenever she was around Pam.

She gently, seductively what's more, touched Melanie's jaw line and angled her head in order to have a better view of her neck. She inhaled sharply, feeling the unmistakable scent of blood fill up her whole body. She never stopped looking at Pam - it was like their eyes were locked at each other.

Tara straddled Melanie, moving her body so that her back was turned to Pam – this way Tara could look at Pam, who was straight ahead of her. Her fangs descended with a click and she neared Melanie's neck. With one last smirk, she sank her fangs into the warm flesh and moaned in unison with Melanie. Pam lost control in that moment and her fangs also came out. Tara smirked at the sound of them and could have sworn that Pam was embarrassed by it. It showed lack of control and Pam was too old to be lacking in that department. Tara also knew that it happened all because of her and it made her feel very confident. She liked knowing she could get to Pam.

In an attempt to save her face, Pam bit down on the other side of Melanie's neck. That is how Melanie became the second woman Pam and Tara had shared and, between vampires, sharing a meal was a big deal.

The fact that Tara sought out Pam's hand and entwined their fingers while they're were doing it was just another bonus.

* * *

_A/N: Drop a couple of reviews, would ya? :)_


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: I want to thank you all for your lovely reviews. Not surprisingly, the last two chapters received the most of them. I'm sorry to say that there is no steamy sexiness in this one, but I hope you'll share your thoughts with me, nevertheless._

_We're about to dig deeper into Pam and Tara's subconscious minds, I hope you find that interesting._

* * *

Pam and Tara were laying on the bed in Pam's bedroom. Tara's eyes were filled with daze after another steamy session with her maker. She was snuggled against the older vampire, her head resting on Pam's shoulder. Pam was idly tracing her fingers along Tara's shoulder as heavy thoughts consumed her mind.

Once again she gave in to her progeny and to her own desires. What surprised Pam the most was her need to submit, to allow Tara to be the one in control. That certainly wasn't something she was used to. In all her years as a vampire, she'd been the one to lead, whether it was sex with humans or vampires. Sure, from time to time she would switch things up a bit, but it was all part of some game. This was different. This reminded her of her relationship with Eric.

He was the only one she felt safe enough with to give in the way she gave in with Tara. She guessed it all stemmed from her human life and her human profession. As a prostitute, she wasn't in control, she gave herself to others in order to survive and she never enjoyed it. She felt used, she felt like a thing, not a person. That was probably the reason why, upon becoming a vampire, she swore never to let anybody make her feel that way again.

Eric didn't make her feel bad – she trusted him and she wanted to please him in every way possible. She loved him more than anything or anyone in the world and she couldn't deny how much she enjoyed those decades when she had a sexual relationship with Eric. Still, as years went by, she found herself to be more attracted to women and Eric respected that. She loved him even more for that.

And now, after almost 70 years, that feeling came back. Safety and trust. It felt so new to Pam, she constantly felt like she didn't know what she was doing, like she was going in blind. Tara, however, managed to cast all her fears aside. Pam could see the admiration in Tara's eyes, she could see how much Tara looked up to her and how much she wanted to make her proud. How much she cared. That's what frightened Pam the most. She wasn't sure if she could live up to the role, if she could be the maker Tara deserved.

Besides, she felt guilt for what she'd done to Tara just a couple of days before she turned her. She knew it was all still fresh in Tara's mind and she also knew that Tara was putting up a brave face. Much to her own dismay, Pam felt the need to talk about it. Serious talk about feelings was never one of Pam's favorite things, but if she wanted to do this right, she had to start from the beginning.

* * *

"Tara?" She said softly, never ceasing to caress her progeny's shoulder.

"Hm?" Tara answered dreamily.

"I need to talk to you. I need to ask you something." Pam sighed heavily.

Feeling Pam's anxiety through their bond, Tara sat up on the bed and looked at Pam, concern written all over her face. "What is it?"

Pam sighed again. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to. She was also still battling with the ever present feeling of appearing weak if she talked about feelings. This certainly wasn't easy for her. Still, she trusted Tara enough and she felt like she could be herself around her, the same way she could around Eric.

"What was her name?" Pam asked quietly.

Tara gave her a confused look, obviously not picking up on Pam's train of thought.

Pam looked down, for some reason feeling uncomfortable under Tara's gaze, and continued. "The girl you were with when", she paused. "when I attacked you."

It was Tara's turn to sigh. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Because I need to." Pam snapped. "We need to talk about this and you better start talking before I lose my courage." Yes, Pam definitely didn't like being in this situation, being so vulnerable. She didn't like caring for others. Luckily, Eric had been the only person she cared for during the last century. And then Tara came along.

Tara saw how serious Pam was and she also felt the turmoil she was going through thanks to their bond. She decided to go with it. "Naomi." She said simply.

Pam nodded. "Did you love her?"

"What difference does it make?" Tara shot back, her fiery personality coming through.

"It doesn't matter, I asked you a question." Pam said with an edge to her voice. It was difficult enough without Tara's stalling and making Pam practically beg for information. She definitely hated the way Tara could make her feel.

"I don't know." Tara said, sounding slightly annoyed. The truth was, she didn't want to talk about Naomi. She wasn't ready at all. "Maybe."

"What do you mean '_maybe'?_" Pam finally looked up, definitely annoyed by Tara's answers.

Tara threw her hands in the air dramatically. "Well, I don't fucking know, Pam! It's not all black and white, you know. Besides, it's not like I've had a lot of time to think about it since I drove her away!" This time Pam could hear a touch of bitterness in Tara's voice, all aimed at Pam. That was okay, she had it coming and it was actually what she planned to do – get Tara to deal with her emotions, even if it meant getting angry at her.

"Drove her away?"

"Yes, _Pam_! I made her leave after you attacked us at Merlotte's. I couldn't bear the thought of her getting injured or killed because of my shitty life and the fact I always seem to draw trouble like a fucking magnet. So I told her to run and never look back." Tara finished, looking down and trying to compose herself. She could feel the surge of emotions deep inside of her, trying to find its way to the surface. She was resolved not to lose her cool or to, at least, keep the most of her emotions under control.

Pam felt guilt. Great, another feeling she wasn't fond of at all.

"Do you know why I did it?" Pam asked quietly.

"Honestly, I have no _fucking_ clue. I tried to explain that I wasn't the one you should be angry with, but you wouldn't listen. It's like you went completely mental and focused all your rage on me." Pam tried to interject, but Tara wasn't having any of it. It was done, Tara could feel that there was no going back and that she was about to tell Pam how she really felt about it, whether she liked it or not.

"I moved to New Orleans when Sookie went missing and it was the best thing I've ever done. I had a brand new life, even a brand new name _and_ I had Naomi. She loved me for who I was and, for the first time in my damned life, I felt happy and safe and loved." She paused to wipe away a tear from her cheek. Pam didn't try to jump in this time. She could feel the anger and rage in both Tara's words and their bond. She knew she asked for it and she knew she had to let her finish.

"When I heard Sookie was back, I couldn't help but go back to Bon Temps. I'd thought she was dead. And what do you know, the moment I put my foot in that damn place, my life went upside down again. I got involved into some witchcraft thing I didn't really understand and then I had a lunatic zombie vampire threatening to kill me for something I didn't do." She saw Pam was about to speak so she hurried to continue, raising one hand in the air.

"Yes, _Pam_, I know I was part of the circle. I'm not saying I wasn't responsible for my own actions, I'm saying I wasn't the one you were supposed to target, there were bigger players there than myself. Marnie saw the hate I had for vampires and she played that card in order to get me on her side. I was nothing but a pawn. She saw how vulnerable I was and she used me." The hurt was evident in Tara's words.

* * *

Pam felt so many strong emotions aimed at herself and for the first time in a very long time, she felt guilt. She felt so much guilt that it was almost overwhelming. Tara was right, she wasn't the one Pam was supposed to go after. The thing is, Marnie was a very powerful witch and after she cast that damn rotting spell, Pam was afraid to go near her again. Yes, Pam was _afraid_. So she chose to take all of her frustrations out on those she could handle – humans.

"When we realized what Marnie was doing was bad, we backed out. Lafayette, Jesus and I. We even offered to help you and we truly wanted to. And yet you _still_ came after me, time and time again. I just don't get it, Pam. Why me?" Tara finished with a big sigh, tears now streaming freely down her cheeks.

Pam couldn't bear it. She took Tara's hand in her own and squeezed it. Looking deeply in her eyes, she started. "Because I was _weak_, Tara. You were the next best thing since I couldn't do shit to Marnie."

The bitterness was evident in her voice. She wanted to hurt Marnie so bad, she wanted to make her pay and yet, she was helpless. She felt so human during those days that it sickened her to her very core.

"And then you turned out to be very though for a human and I guess it sparked my interest, in a twisted vampire sense." She added with a little smirk and felt relieved upon seeing a matching one on Tara's lips.

"I could feel your fear, but you fought and stood up to me instead of running. I guess I admired that, in a way. At the same time, I wanted you dead because I was growing restless not being able to do anything, not even kill a human. I guess I fixated. My life was a mess, Tara. Eric was in his amnesia mode, my body was literally falling apart, I couldn't do shit to Marnie and then, to top it all off, there were you, staying alive out of sheer _spite_, I guess."

Tara laughed out loud at that last remark. "You bet your sweet ass I was!"

Pam laughed, too. She grew serious quickly, though. There was something Tara said that Pam was very interested in. "You said you'd hated vampires. Why?"

Tara arched her brow. "_Really_, Pam? You mean besides the whole drinking blood, killing, being stronger and faster and virtually impossible to kill thing?"

Pam smiled. She had to admit she liked Tara's snarky attitude and the way she could turn almost any situation into a joke. "Yeah, besides all that." She said jokingly.

Tara took a deep unnecessary breath. This was it. After so much time doing her best to keep all of her experiences buried deep inside of her, she was about to lay her heart out to Pam. She was about to face her biggest fears. And then there was the image of him in her head. So vivid. His eyes piercing her, scanning her, wanting her. She shivered at the thought. Franklin.

* * *

_A/N: Reviews, reviews, reviews! \o/ \o/ \o/ :)_


	11. Chapter 11

There had been plenty of situations in Tara's life which led to her hatred of vampires. Franklin _was_ the ultimate breaking point, but it had started long before he came along. Sookie was, of course, ecstatic when vampires came out of the coffin. She'd always been more of a free spirit when it came to anything extraordinary. _She_ was extraordinary, after all. Despite being open minded when it came to Sookie and her abilities, Tara wasn't that crazy about vampires. Sookie wasn't after her blood, after all.

Pam was silently watching Tara, waiting for her to start talking. She could feel her anxiety growing through their bond, but she decided not to say anything – she decided to give Tara the time she needed to collect her thoughts.

As Tara went through her memories, she decided to start with lighter things, hoping that she wouldn't have to talk about Franklin, that Pam would be satisfied with the reasons she was about to give. The truth was, Tara wasn't ready to talk about Franklin. She was still very much traumatized about it even though she had a brave face on. That was her thing – fight and never look back. She was very afraid of the looking back she would have to do if Pam felt she was keeping something from her. Putting those thoughts aside, she started from the beginning.

"I guess is started the night Bill Compton came to Merlotte's. Sookie was so excited about Bon Temps' first vampire that she didn't even stop to think about all the possible dangers." She rolled her eyes. That was _so_ Sookie.

"The rest of us weren't so thrilled, of course. I was working the bar that night and Sam and I kept our eyes on him the whole time. Anyway, as you know, she fell head over heels for him and there was nothing any of us could say about him to change her mind. Of course, apart from him being a vampire, we didn't have any real arguments, but still – that was an argument for itself."

Pam chuckled. She did find most humans boring and stupid, but Tara surely hadn't been one of them. Vampires _were_ a danger and a threat to humans and they lived off of stupid specimens who failed to recognize that danger.

"What?" Tara asked.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how smart you were." Pam said with a playful smile.

"Well, damn straight I was!" Tara returned and Pam motioned with her hand for Tara to continue.

"It's like everything went downhill from that first night. Sookie actually got beaten up that same night and Bill saved her life." She rolled her eyes at the mention of that. Something was always fishy about that attack, but Tara wasn't going to dwell on it.

"She was constantly in some kind of danger. We had a killer on lose who specifically targeted women who had business with vampires. I tried to talk about it with her, tried to reason, but she wouldn't listen. Do you know she actually called me racist?" Tara asked indignantly.

Pam chuckled again. She had one feisty progeny. "Really?"

"Yeah, really. If it wasn't for Lafayette, I would have kicked her white little ass. Calling _me_ a racist." Tara puffed. "Not to mention her dear Billy had slaves growing up! And _I'm_ a racist."

Pam laughed this time, earning a murderous glare from Tara. The thought of Compton being called Billy was very amusing to her. "How do you know he had slaves?"

"I asked him." Tara answered like Pam had just asked the most stupid question ever.

As the memory of that particular night came to Tara's mind, she grew sad. It happened at Sookie's house which, at that point, was still her grandma's house. Adele Stackhouse had still been alive that night, excited by Bill's stories of Bon Temps during the Civil War. That was the woman Tara considered her real mother. She was the one who cooked for her, made sure her clothes were clean and that she had a roof over her head. She was the most wonderful person Tara had ever known and her life came to an end thanks to vampires.

"Anyway, it actually happened when Sookie's grandma was still alive. She died because of vampires. That killer killed her, thinking it was Sookie. So you can put that in the against column, too. That woman was the only mother I ever knew."

They both sighed. Pam realized more and more every day, what a complex person Tara was. She failed to recognize it before because Pam had always been unfazed by humans, thinking they were unworthy. Now she thought she would have definitely loved human Tara, she would have definitely found her interesting.

"Not to mention Lafayette being kidnapped by Eric." Tara shot an accusing glance towards Pam.

"He was a V dealer. He was lucky to get out of there alive." Pam deadpanned.

"He was also my _cousin_." Tara returned.

Pam raised her eyebrows as if asking 'so what'.

"Let's put it this way. If someone kidnapped and tortured Eric for weeks, would you care to know the reasons behind it?"

A low growl escaped from Pam's chest. Tara definitely hit a sensitive spot right there. She wouldn't care, she would make sure they suffered at least twice as much before she ended their sorry lives.

"That's what I thought." Tara concluded victoriously.

Lafayette being kidnapped was the first situation where vampires did something personal to Tara. Lafayette was her cousin and she thought of him as her brother. Just the thought of everything he went through in Fangtasia's dungeon made her shiver with rage. She didn't care that she was also a vampire now, this was her damn cousin and her damn family. No one messes with that.

Tara was approaching the Franklin part. Instead going there, she decided to skip that part for now. She wasn't ready, not yet.

"I also had to kick Bill's ass when he almost drained Sookie."

This definitely got Pam's attention. Anything having to do with Bill being a bastard amused her. "Kick his ass?" Pam knew Tara liked to kick ass, but she'd been a human and Pam found it hard to believe she was capable of that. Oh, how wrong she was.

"Yeah. It was after we broke them out of Russell's mansion. It was during the day so we had a van and that's where we put Bill, to keep him out of the sun. Sookie _had_ to be with him in the back, of course." She rolled her eyes. Sookie really had a way of putting herself in stupidly dangerous situations, time and time again.

"I was with Alcide in the front and then we heard something. He stopped the van and we went back to see what was going on. We came at the last moment - he almost drained her. She was bitten numerous times and there was blood everywhere." Tara could feel anger building up in her just at the thought of that.

"He'd been tortured so I guess he was in bloodlust and didn't know what he was doing. That's the official version, anyway. I never gave him much credit."

Pam smirked. Tara really was an unapologetic bad ass.

"So I kicked him out on the road, out in the sun and we left him there. He survived because he was full of Sookie's faery blood." She finished, a look of disgust evident on her face. She never liked Bill, but what she didn't like even more was the way Sookie always seemed to think more about him than herself, she always put him first without even realizing it. Tara couldn't count the times Sookie almost got herself killed because of Bill.

Pam's smirk grew bigger. Apart from being a bad ass, Tara was obviously a good judge of character. Pam could never understand Sookie or what drove her to do the things she did. In the end, she just came to think of her as plain stupid. Too bad Eric didn't share the sentiment. The dumb ass even fell in love with her. Probably just to annoy Pam even more.

She also realized Tara was a loyal friend. Kicking Bill out of the van in the sun was a bold move, especially considering the fact he could have died the true death and she would answer to Sookie for that. Also, the fact that she took a bullet for Sookie further confirmed Pam's opinion. It was a useful trait, as long as it wasn't pushed too far. Pam was afraid Tara may have overstepped some boundaries, stupidly putting herself in danger for the little faery. Still, it was a noble thing to do. It's just that Pam didn't think Sookie deserved that.

"Wait." Pam said as realization came to her. "You said you broke him out of Russell's mansion? How did you get there?"

That was it. Tara fell in her own trap. The reason she'd been in that mansion is because Franklin had brought her there. Just as she was about to open her mouth, the door bell rang. Saved by the bell, indeed.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Tara was escorting Jessica to one of the empty rooms. Her face was blood stained from crying, her clothes in shreds, barely hanging on. Tara didn't say anything, she just lead her into the room and immediately went to the bathroom to run a bath full of hot bubbly water.

Eric brought her. Tara didn't know much more because Pam sent the two of them upstairs almost immediately. Tara didn't appreciate being knocked around and told what to do like she was a child, but she also knew when to shut her mouth and obey. This was one of those times. She hadn't seen Jessica since they escaped from the Authority.

When the tub was completely filled with water, Tara turned around and found Jessica already standing there. There was a fresh red tear rolling down her cheek and she looked years older. Tara recognized that look – Jessica was traumatized.

"Thank you." – Jessica said softly, fighting the urge to fall apart right there.

Tara gave her a small smile. "No worries. You need somethin'?"

Jessica shook her head and started to undress. Tara decided to give her privacy so she quickly shuffled out of the bathroom. Having nothing better to do, she decided to go downstairs and join Pam and Eric. As soon as she rounded the corner and entered the living room, she could see the worried faces of two older vampires. She didn't like that at all, especially when it came to Eric. When a 1000 year old vampire was worried, you knew something serious was up.

Pam looked up, sensing Tara's presence even before she entered the room. "What are you doing? I thought I told you to stay with Jessica."

Tara gave her a slight roll of her eyes. "She's taking a bath, I didn't think she needed audience for that part."

Eric couldn't help but chuckle softly, earning a glare from Pam. In his eyes, Pam and Tara were two peas in a pod, a perfect match. He liked the younger vampire, he liked her audacity and her unapologetic nature. She wasn't afraid of anything, she fought instead of running away. These were all nice qualities in a vampire and, with some proper training, she had the potential of becoming a formidable vampire one day. Having Pam as her maker meant she'd also have a formidable tongue, although Eric noticed she got that one covered already.

"So, what's up?" Tara asked casually, sitting on the couch next to Pam. Pam just gave her a look, she couldn't wrap her mind around Tara just sitting casually with them, asking what was up as if they were all best friends who'd known each other for years.

"What?" Tara asked, noticing Pam's confused look.

"Nothing." Pam mumbled with a slight shake of her head. Her progeny was definitely a handful.

Moving her attention to Eric, Tara asked "How did you get Jess?"

"She showed up at Sookie's." He answered. "I don't know anything else since she wouldn't talk. I guessed she'd maybe be more open around the two of you so I brought her here. I don't know if she escaped from Bill or he let her go, but it wasn't pretty either way."

Pam let out a low growl. Despite being annoyed with Jessica most of the time, she couldn't bear the thought of Bill hurting her. He had a history of hurting women in the most despicable of ways, and that history went way back into the days of human Pam.

* * *

Right in that moment, vampires' keen ears picked up on Jessica exiting the bathroom. The two older vampires looked at Tara and she went upstairs with a sigh. She didn't like being treated like a child, that was for sure.

She found Jessica sitting on the bed, her look distant and unfocused.

"Hey, you okay?" Tara asked softly, edging towards the bed.

"No." Jessica said matter of factly, still focused on the same spot on the wall.

Tara sat beside her. "Wanna talk about it?"

Another tear slipped down Jessica's cheek. She shook her head slowly. "I just wanna sleep."

Tara nodded. Jessica obviously needed time and she wasn't going to push it. Even though it was more than an hour left till dawn, vampires were able to rest earlier if they were very tired or injured, especially the young ones. Tara figured Jessica would have no trouble falling asleep. She tucked her in and removed a strand of hair that fell across her face. She felt closer to Jessica than ever before. Even though they started on the wrong foot, Tara knew deep down that they were going to be great friends and it pained her to see Jessica hurt. She slowly exited the room, stealing another glance in Jessica's direction before she closed the door.

* * *

Sighing deeply, she went to Pam's bedroom, finding her on the bed.

"Where's Jessica?" She asked.

"She went to sleep early, she's tired." Pam nodded absentmindedly.

"What is it?" Tara asked, noticing that Pam wasn't really there.

"Nothing." Pam said, shaking her head as if to clear her mind. "Come here."

Tara joined her on the bed and they shared a hug. A hug that said more than words could. They were both happy to have each other, especially after Jessica's arrival. Tara felt compassion, knowing that Jessica probably experienced some bad things. She also couldn't imagine being in Jessica's shoes, being without her maker. The thought made Tara hug Pam even more tightly. Pam, on the other hand, saw another reason to hate Bill. Her list became longer and longer as time went by. The prospect of getting back to him excited her, but she knew she had to be patient.

After giving Tara a small peck on the lips and a smile, Pam asked. "So, how did you end up in Russell's mansion?"

* * *

_A/N: I know you expected the Franklin talk to happen in this chapter, but I need some more time. I'm in the process of rewatching Tara/Franklin scenes. I think it is one of the, if not the biggest trauma of Tara's life and I want to do it right. I'm planning on dedicating the whole next chapter just to that, so bear with me._

_Reviews, pretty please?_


	12. Chapter 12

_A/N: An anonymous reviewer asked me why was it important for Pam and Tara to talk about Franklin. I think it's a very important step on their bonding path because it's one of the biggest traumas of Tara's life and of the biggest reasons she hates vampires. Being a vampire now, she needs to make peace with that in order to move on. Also, it allows us to look into Pam's past and maybe find some similarities between the two._

_Also, the same person asked me why would Jessica go back to Billith. She didn't go back to him, she was under his maker's command and I thought it was evident that he made her come with him after the battle at the TA. I'm sorry if I left it a bit unclear._

_That said, here's your Franklin chapter!_

* * *

Tara sighed heavily as her mind went back to the night she first met Franklin. She was in a very bad place. After losing Eggs, she felt like she was losing herself, like she was hanging on to her dear life by a thread. And then he came along and with him a sense of silent understanding and agreement. She noticed it from the very moment he spoke his first words to her.

When she told him that she was in Merlotte's because she was afraid she'd kill herself otherwise, he wasn't taken aback by it, not even for a bit. Sookie, Sam and Lafayette would have freaked out if she said something like that to them. But not him. He didn't even flinch.

There was something about his calmness and apparent interest in Tara that drew her attention. At that point, everyone was tiptoeing around her, comforting her, trying to make her feel better and she was sick of it. There was no getting better from having your boyfriend killed. There was no getting better from being used by a crazy maenad and having big black holes in your memory. No.

He didn't try to comfort her – he simply wanted to talk. Their talk didn't last long, but he did make an impression on Tara. Even the knowledge that he was a vampire didn't diminish that and that was a big thing in her book.

He was also involved in an incident in the parking lot, just a couple of minutes after she'd stormed out of Merlotte's in her usual fashion. He held down a redneck while she beat the hell out of him. She was sure she would have killed him if Franklin hadn't stopped her. All that rage and helplessness reached a boiling point in that moment and she knew she wouldn't stop. It felt too good. And Franklin was there, drinking in her rage, drinking in her emotions.

The one night stand that followed seemed like the next obvious move. Tara simply wanted to vent and he was there, willing and ready. The sex was mind blowing, that was for sure, but Tara didn't want anything else, she just wanted to get out of there. Even though he didn't like it, he respected her decision and let her leave. Tara appreciated that, especially knowing that he could have made her stay there if he wanted to. He didn't, though, and Tara actually thought that not all vampires were the same. How wrong she was.

* * *

Pam watched Tara intently as she made her way through the story. She really wanted to know her, wanted to know what was hiding beneath that strong, unbending surface. The more Tara talked, the more Pam realized what a hard life she had. It made her respect Tara even more, respect the hardness of her character and her will.

She was a bit surprised at Tara's one night stand and made it obvious by raising her infamous brow.

"What?" Tara asked.

"Nothing. I didn't really take you for the type, that's it." Pam drawled.

"The type?" Tara asked, a bit of aggressiveness showing in her voice. She knew what Pam was getting at. "You mean the type that has a one night stand with a vampire?"

Pam's lips twitched in an effort to suppress a smirk. She had one feisty progeny.

"Well, excuse you, Mother Theresa!" Tara exclaimed indignantly.

Pam chuckled and threw her hands in the air in an apologetic gesture. "All right, all right, I'm not judgin'. Just a bit surprised, that's all. Go on."

Tara shot her one last warning glance and went back to her thoughts.

* * *

Everything would have been fine if Franklin hadn't shown up at her door the next night. Immediately she knew something was wrong, he had a menacing vibe to him and she didn't appreciate it at all. Of course, he was after Sookie. Everything always came back to fucking Sookie.

Tara shook her head, realizing once again how many times Sookie had gotten her in trouble, both directly and indirectly. Of course, Tara wasn't a hypocrite – she knew that Sookie was also there for her when she needed her, she was her best friend, after all. But still, the nagging feeling that everything would have been different if Sookie were different, was ever present.

Of course, since Franklin glamoured her, he had no trouble getting the information he needed, he had no trouble controlling Tara fully. That was the night he took advantage of her for the first time, that was the night he bit her. And he didn't make it nice, either – it hurt like a motherfucker.

Pam could feel her jaw clench as the mental image of Tara being bitten by a vampire invaded her mind. She didn't really understand her reaction. She was a vampire, after all, and that's what vampires do – they bite. It was the fact that it was Tara, her Tara, that was attacked and hurt that pained her. From her perspective of Tara's maker, she knew she'd kill anyone who'd try to hurt her progeny and it wouldn't be a quick death. No, Pam would make sure they suffered.

Tara noticed Pam's body stiffening up and she braced herself mentally, knowing that worse things were coming. The glamour and the biting Franklin did that night had been just the beginning of a long and painful road.

* * *

He kidnapped her right after that and took her to Jackson, Mississippi. He raved about them being soul mates on the road, even though he had Tara tied up. Tara remembered thinking how he must have been mad, but she also remembered the fear that crept into her as she sat beside him in the car. A crazy vampire was never a good choice of company. Not that she had any choice.

She remembered being tied to the toilet in a motel room somewhere on the road. The extreme humiliation of that act troubled Tara immensely. And yet Franklin acted like they were a couple in love, even asking her if she missed him and bringing her flowers. It was obvious to her even then that he had some serious issues. That didn't stop her from hating him, though.

Things just got worse when they arrived at the mansion. She remembered being evaluated by another vampire who, thankfully, decided she was too skinny for his taste. Franklin did make it clear that she was his, though. Of course, that wasn't a consolation of any kind – being his meant being at the mercy of a vampire who obviously wasn't very steady in his head.

* * *

"And that's when Bill showed up." Tara said, almost silent.

Pam's eyes grew wide. "Compton was there?"

Tara simply nodded.

"He didn't do anything?" She asked incredulously.

"Nope. He did admit to knowing me, but he also said he didn't care." Tara answered, bitterness obvious in her tone. "He was with Russell and some other woman and I believe they just came from feeding." She added.

Pam growled this time. "I'm gonna fuckin' kill him."

Tara smiled at that. It was a sign of affection in Pam's special way and she appreciated it immensely.

The vampire part of Pam's brain understood Bill's logic. It would have been utterly stupid to endanger his existence for a mere human, he had to play his game right. But the other part of Pam's brain screamed that Tara wasn't just _any_ human – she was Tara, _Pam's_ Tara. The thought of Bill dismissing her like she was a nobody, especially given Tara's status of Sookie's best friend, pissed Pam off. She definitely added this to her ever growing Bill hate list. She would relish the moment when she got to get back to him for all his transgressions.

When Pam composed herself, Tara continued. Of course, the worst part was yet to come.

* * *

Tara remembered feeling trapped, having no way out of her situation, being at Franklin's mercy. She remembered his violent nature, how he could change from a seemingly loving man into a monster in a matter of seconds. He nearly choked her to death when she received a message from Lafayette. It took all her strength and power to say he was her cousin. His unbalanced nature came to play again – he was happy to hear Lafayette was Tara's cousin and even joked around, making Tara watch how fast he could type 'motherfucker'.

She had to get out of there and she used the first chance she got. It was during the day and she thought she was safe – all the vampires were asleep. Unfortunately, she didn't know that Russell's property was being watched by a group of werewolves. She was caught, of course, and brought back to Franklin.

She was scared out of her mind of what he would do to her. She knew how he was and she knew he would probably be unable to control himself.

"So, what happened?" Pam asked when Tara fell silent.

"He freaked out, of course." Tara said. "Kept askin' 'why', as if it wasn't obvious."

"Did he hurt you?" Pam asked with the smallest of growls escaping her chest.

"Not then, no. I managed to convince him I ran from the others, not him. He bought if, of course. He was so fucked up in his head that he believed me."

Pam sighed thankfully.

"That's when I decided to play it differently, I decided to seduce him, hoping I'd get him to trust me, hoping I'd get the chance to run."

"Smart girl." Pam said with a smile.

"Well, don't get too excited." Tara said wryly. "That's when he proposed to me, saying he'd make me his vampire bride. He planned on turning me into a vampire after giving me one last night as a human."

"Well, shit." Pam reacted. Even though it was pretty obvious Franklin didn't do it, the thought of it made Pam uncomfortable.

Tara chuckled a bit. "Shit, indeed. I knew I had one chance only to get away."

* * *

The thought of being turned into a vampire by Franklin still made Tara's whole body shudder, despite him being long gone. All the physical and emotional abuse couldn't compare with an eternity of being bound to a psychopath such as him. That was probably one of the reasons Tara hated being turned by Pam - she was afraid of becoming that monster.

That night Tara took things into her own hands and seduced him. She knew protesting or pleading wouldn't get her anywhere – he'd just get upset and, unbalanced as he was, God knows what he would have done. No, she did it the old fashioned way, using her charms. It was fairly easy, to be honest.

As he was getting ready to devour her body once again, she got him to untie her by saying, in the most seductive voice she could muster, that two hands were better than none. It worked like a charm. Franklin may have been an old vampire, but he was also a man and, as such, he had his weaknesses. She also bit him that night and drank his blood, knowing she would need all the strength she could get. It disgusted her, but she did it anyway. She did what she had to do, like so many times in her life.

When he died for the day, she got out of the bed and turned to leave. Something caught her attention, though. A collection of medieval weapons was displayed on the wall in their room. She took a mace and smashed his head in.

As Tara remembered that particular part of her experience with Franklin, the bloodthirsty vampire awoke in her. Even then, she relished that moment. As his blood sprayed all over her face, she felt freedom and satisfaction. Every hit brought more, with every hit she felt stronger. She wanted to kill him, punish him for all he'd done to her.

Once again, Tara made it. That's what she thought, at least.

"But wait." Pam interjected, her brows furrowed. "Smashing his head…"

"Wouldn't kill him." Tara finished. "Yeah, the thought never occurred to me. And just when I think that there were battle axes just beside that mace on the wall." She said, shaking her head.

If she'd taken one of the axes and decapitated him, he would have meet the true death. The thing is, Tara knew that, she knew all the ways to kill a vampire – she made sure she educated herself as soon as they came out of the coffin. But giving him a clean death wouldn't satisfy her. Maybe that's why her mind deliberately played a trick on her.

She needed revenge, she needed to torture him. An axe wouldn't do that. A mace would. And it did. Over and over again, until all that was left of Franklin's upper body was a pile of red mush on the pillow. She didn't know how many times she hit him, she just knew it felt good and liberating.

* * *

Of course, it came to back to bite her in the ass very soon. Tara remembered the feeling of his cold hand squeezing her throat tightly in the Merlotte's parking lot. He came back for her and there was nothing she could do, no seduction would work on him. He was completely out of his mind, but Tara also noticed he was genuinely hurt. That didn't cause her to take pity on him, no more than it stopped him from attempting to murder her.

As she looked into his cold, undead eyes, Tara knew her time was up. Nothing would get her out of that. Maybe that was how it was supposed to be, maybe she'd used all of her nine lives and it was her time to go. Maybe she'd finally find her peace, the thing she wanted the most in her life. Either way, Tara wouldn't give him the satisfaction she knew he'd get if she cried, screamed and begged him not to kill her. Oh, no. She would die fighting and defying, the same way she lived.

Next thing she knew, he was a pile of red goo beside her feet, and a smug look on Jason's face welcomed her on the other side of it, as well as a shotgun filled with wooden bullets.

* * *

Tara had feared this moment for a very long time, feared she'd have to go back to that dark place in her mind and speak about Franklin. Now that she did it, she was surprised that it felt good. For the first time in her life, she felt no grudge, only freedom and peace of mind.

Franklin was a deeply tormented soul. Beneath all his monstrosity and violent nature, beneath that psychopath, was a broken man. A man who wished nothing more than to be loved and give love and his own nature and troubled mind prevented him from getting that. Tara could understand that now. In a weird way, she was the same way.

No, she didn't go on murderous rampages, but she did allow people to get close to her only to turn them away. She'd have one good day and ten bad ones. She was a good person with a good heart, but her issues prevented her from seeing that same good in others. Always afraid of being hurt or hurting others, never giving herself enough credit. She knew it would take time to sort all that out, but time was the only thing she had in abundance.

As she put a tender kiss on Pam's lips that night and gave in to the pull of dawn, Tara felt nothing but peace.

* * *

Pam, on the other hand, was riding on an emotional roller coaster. No pull of dawn could get her to calm down and go to rest, not with all the vivid images that played in her mind. Some of Tara, some of her own human life and troubles.

Troubles long forgotten, buried in the depths of her unbeating heart. They all came pouring out with an unstoppable force.

Pam knew the feeling of helplessness Tara talked about, it was a feeling that followed her throughout her adult human life. It was also one of the reasons Pam hated feelings and not being in control. As a human, she had no control, she had no power. She both received and witnessed abuse, much like Tara did.

On that faithful night her human life ended, Eric told her that her profession wasn't glamorous, but still more honest than most. He got that right – there was nothing glamorous about selling your body, giving it to others to do with as they pleased. Pam called it 'legal rape'. Prostitutes never complained, but they didn't want it either. Still they had to put up a brave face, bat their eyelashes and act like they enjoyed it – the same way Tara did that night with Franklin. It was their only way to survive. The bad part was that surviving only meant more misery.

Pam also felt the wrath of vampires when Bill and Lorena drained her girls. Again, the feeling of helplessness was present. She was a mere human, what could she have done? Nothing. The same way Tara couldn't hope to overpower Franklin. They both could just watch, as if watching an especially sick, twisted movie. Only, it wasn't a movie, but their lives.

As Pam gazed over her resting progeny, she thought of all the ways they were similar and all the times she failed to notice it. It took a deal with Sookie and Pam being forced to turn Tara for her to realize it. Despite herself, she felt intense feelings for the woman who got to be her progeny in the most crazy of ways. She couldn't yet identify them, but she knew they were there. She wasn't sure she was comfortable with that.

After all, feelings weren't her thing. Hadn't been for a long, long time.

* * *

_A/N: Okay, this was a very hard chapter for me to write and it also took a long time for me to finish it. It's the longest one yet. I'm not completely satisfied with how it turned out, but I do feel I've given it my best at this point and I don't want you guys to wait for updates too long._

_Reviews are very welcome, as always._

_Next up: A nice little 2 week time jump, time to get back to Fangtasia and those fangbangers. How does that sound like? :) _


	13. Chapter 13

_Two weeks later_

Tara was working the bar in Fangtasia. It was a busy night like all the rest since they'd reopened the bar. As soon as the news of Tru Blood factories working circled the globe, fangbangers started flooding Fangtasia. Tara thought how funny that was, humans actually feeling safe if there was Tru Blood, as if that meant vampires wouldn't hurt them. She didn't have much time to think about it, though – patrons were yelling all around the bar, ordering drinks.

"Y'all don't have to yell, I can hear you perfectly well!" She hissed through her teeth.

It was to no avail, they just kept ordering their drinks frantically, as if their lives depended on it.

Tara was also aware of a sulking Jessica at the far end of the bar. Her hand supporting her head, the other lazily playing with an empty glass of Tru Blood, she looked at least half as irritated as Tara was. That was a lot, considering the fact that she usually enjoyed the company of fangbangers, loved playing with them and receiving their attention. Tonight she obviously wasn't in the mood. That's why Tara kept a close eye on a couple of male fangbangers who'd assumed positions around her. Of course, the younger vampire knew Jessica was perfectly able to get rid of them herself, but she couldn't help it. They'd grown closer over the last two weeks and Tara considered her a friend.

Jessica was the only person who knew about Tara's relationship with Pam or the lack thereof. She was the only one Tara felt comfortable enough with to talk about her troubles, and Jessica repaid it by trying to figure out ways to get Pam and Tara back together. Not that she was successful, but Tara was grateful nevertheless.

At the thought of Pam, Tara looked over the heads of aggravated patrons and locked her eyes with her maker for a second. That's how long it took Pam to look away. Tara couldn't help but sigh at the sight of her – she looked magnificent on her throne. Wearing a red leather dress that revealed more than it hid, her beautiful blonde locks framing her face and falling down her back, the look in her eyes revealing every bit of dominance and confidence of her character.

Tara shook her head and went back to mixing drinks. Still, she couldn't stop thinking about Pam or where it went wrong. Everything was great that night when Tara told her about Franklin, but it all changed the following night. Pam wasn't exactly cold, but she wasn't warm and loving either. She distanced herself and Tara felt that distance grow as each night passed by. She was afraid Pam was slipping out of her hands completely. It was like they were back to square one – Pam was either dripping with sarcasm or ignoring Tara completely. It drove the baby vamp crazy, especially because Pam wouldn't talk about it. Tara tried to talk to Pam several times, but it got her nowhere – Pam acted like nothing happened.

* * *

An hour later, when the crowd lessened a bit, Tara went over to where Jessica was sitting and poured her another Tru Blood. Since their return to Fangtasia, Jessica had almost become part of the inventory there. She rarely left, usually to have fun with some lucky fangbanger and then she'd return. Pam wasn't very happy with the arrangement, but she allowed her to stay. She had nowhere to go, after all. Tara got to know her pretty well and she liked her a lot. She was very sweet and loving, almost like a sister Tara never had. It was funny how Tara was the more mature one, but Jessica was the older vampire. It turned out that human age did matter, Tara had almost ten years on Jessica in that department.

"What's up with you?" Tara asked as she handed her the glass.

"Nothing." Jessica muttered, accepting it and bringing it to her lips.

Tara gave her a dubious look. "If that's what you say."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I don't know. I'm just bored I guess."

Tara nodded absentmindedly and stole another glance in Pam's direction. This time, Pam was watching one of their new strippers working the pole. The girl had a killer body as well as being a great dancer, and Tara couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Following Tara's gaze, Jessica realized what was bothering Tara. "So, what's up with you and Pam?"

"Nothing." Tara mumbled, picking up a cloth and wiping the bar top, suddenly acting like she had a lot of work to do.

"What do you mean nothing? Did you talk to her?" Jessica asked, all traces of boredom gone from her voice.

"Mind your own business!" Tara shot back and moved away.

Knowing that Tara could hear her, Jessica continued. "I have no business of mine and you know that. Besides, it's not my fault you two are in a bad place. I was just tryin' to help, ya know." She ended feeling a bit offended.

Tara looked at her and realized she was right. "I'm sorry. It's just that, I don't know what to do anymore."

"Well, if she doesn't wanna talk to you," Jessica said with mischief in her eyes, "maybe you should try somethin' else. Like make her jealous."

"And how the hell am I supposed to do that?" Tara huffed.

Jessica's eyes widened. "Seriously? Look around you! Every single one of these fangbangers would die if you only spared them a glance and you know it."

Tara sighed. Yes, she'd grown quite famous among Fangtasia's patrons since becoming a vampire. A month old vampire who still hadn't had sex with a single fangbanger – everyone and their mother hoped to have the honor. They even started having bets as to when and with whom it would happen. Tara could feel their eyes on her every night, but she paid them no mind. She did like the attention, she had to admit that. It was good knowing how much they wanted her, feeling them feast their eyes on her. Maybe it was superficial, but it still felt damn good.

The thought of making Pam jealous the way Jessica had suggested had crossed her mind, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She always ended up simply feeding on them and sending them away.

"Nah, it wouldn't work." Tara immediately crossed that from her list.

That's when she felt it. Like a light tickle in her bond. She immediately looked over to Pam's throne and saw her looking the other way, trying to stiffen a smirk. Of course, she heard them. Tara shook her head at her own stupidity.

"Oh, fuck me. Keep your voice down, Jess." She said, shaking her head.

As realization hit her, Jessica giggled like a school girl which earned her another glare from Tara.

* * *

As she sat on her throne, Pam fought to regain her composure after hearing the two baby vamps. That plan never would have worked on her and Tara was smart to realize it. However, she also felt guilt seeing how much Tara was tortured by their falling out, especially not knowing why it happened or how to fix it.

Pam knew, of course – it was her fault, after all. Two weeks ago, as she caressed her sleeping progeny, Pam decided to put a stop to their…whatever it was. She decided it was for the best, she thought it was the right thing to do. Tara obviously had a lot of issues and the majority of them stemmed from her bad experiences with vampires. Pam couldn't bear the thought of she herself becoming another bad vampire experience for Tara.

And she felt deep inside that she would hurt her eventually. She couldn't give Tara what she needed. She needed unconditional love and care, she needed Pam to show her feelings and that was something Pam wasn't ready to do. It had nothing to do with Tara, but with her own fear of what might come to the surface if she let herself feel again.

It was different with Eric. Even though they'd had a sexual relationship for decades, she never felt for him what she felt for Tara. She loved him, but she wasn't _in_ love with him. Unfortunately, there was no running from it. She had to admit, to herself at least, that she was definitely in love with Tara and it scared her beyond measure. She wasn't ready for something like that nor did she ever ask for it.

The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning on that faithful night Tara opened her heart to her. She admired her strength, her will, the way she fought for everything. She loved feeling Tara's trust and admiration and often wondered what had she done to deserve it. She didn't feel worthy of it and she was sure there was someone out there better for Tara, someone who could give her what she deserved. Pam knew how bad she'd treated Tara during her human days and she also knew she started off as a really shitty maker. She was trying to make amends for that now, but it didn't erase the past.

Most of all, Pam admired the intensity of Tara's feelings. She could feel them through the bond, but she'd be able to do that even without it – Tara felt so strongly, with all her being. She was extremely passionate about everything, whether it was worth it or not. She was very straightforward when it came to her feelings. The polar opposite from Pam.

No, Pam felt she wasn't good enough for Tara so she decided not to be selfish. That was also a new feeling for her – selflessness had never been one of her strong traits. But, like with everything else, it was another thing Tara awoke in her when she stormed into her life.

As she watched her progeny working and chatting with Jessica, she couldn't help but shake her head in disbelief. How could that girl turn Pam's life completely upside down and shake it's very foundation? Pam had no idea. The old Pam would have taken the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful woman's company in every way possible until she grew tired of her and discarded her, replacing her with a better version. This new Pam honestly doubted she could ever grow tired of Tara. Even so, she wouldn't take the chance.

Of course, if she knew anything about Tara, she knew she wouldn't take the change of situation lightly. That was okay, though – Pam was mentally prepared for that. She would play the cold hearted bitch even if it tore her apart. She could only hope that Tara would forgive her one day.

* * *

"Jessica, my darling" Pam drawled sarcastically, scaring the baby vamp when she appeared behind her. "Would you mind if I stole Tara from you for a minute?"

Instantly, Jessica grinned. "Oh no, not at all. You just go ahead." She really was a giddy school girl.

Tara wasn't as excited even though she couldn't help but feel a bit of hope as she followed Pam to her office. As she closed the door behind her, she focused on Pam who sat comfortably in her big leather chair and looked at some papers.

"Now, would you mind explaining this?" Pam asked as she lifted up a sheet of paper for Tara to take.

Confused, Tara accepted it and ran her eyes over it. "It's an order for Tru Blood."

"Oh goody, she can read!" Pam said, sarcasm dripping with every word. Tara rolled her eyes.

"How _many_ crates of Tru Blood, Tara?" She added seriously.

"Thirty." Tara said, irritation obvious in her voice. She hated being treated like a child.

"Now let's see if you can count." Pam continued. "If I remember correctly, and I do, I told you to order twenty. So, how many extra do we have?"

Tara let out a small growl. It was one thing to be treated like a child and another to be taken for an imbecile. "Ten." She managed through clenched teeth.

"So what do you suppose I do with 240 extra bottles of Tru Blood?" Pam said, raising her voice this time.

"Oh, fuck you, Pam!" Tara lost it. "I made a fucking mistake, I'm _sorry_. Is that's what you wanna hear?"

"Well, that's also nice, but I still have 240 bottles of Tru Blood going to waste." Pam drawled again, never losing her cool which aggravated Tara even more.

"They won't go to waste. If you haven't noticed, the bar's been full since we reopened, it will sell." Tara said with a sure voice.

"Well, you better hope it does." Pam finished and went back to reading her papers.

Tara's eyes grew wide. "That's it? _That's_ why you called me?"

Pam raised her head and answered. "Yes. Is there anything else you'd like to waste my time with?"

Tara clenched her fist and inhaled a couple of times to compose herself. "Can I go?"

"Why, of course you can. Who's gonna clean up the bar if you don't?" Pam said with a little smirk.

Tara stormed out of the office, muttering 'bitch' as she closed the door. She knew Pam could hear it and she didn't care. She wanted her to hear it. She was growing sick and tired of playing games with her.

Pam heard Tara call her a bitch and was surprised to find it actually hurt her. In any other situation, she would have taken it as a compliment, but not this time. She knew she was being way too harsh on Tara and she could feel she was driving her away. The thing is, Pam knew no other way. Cold detachment was her most effective weapon and she was determined to use it if it meant sparing Tara more misery. Yes, Pam understood that she was inflicting pain on Tara by acting like a cold bitch, but she knew that pain was nothing compared to what Tara would feel if Pam ever betrayed her trust.

And Pam knew she would betray Tara, one way or another. She was all for some casual fun, but Tara needed and deserved more. That was something Pam wasn't able to give her. She didn't know how. That part of her was long gone. Dead and buried.

* * *

_A/N: I really love Jessica so I'll try to have her in the story as much as possible. I love the prospect of her and Tara becoming best friends._

_Next up: Tara's tired of being pushed around, it's time to take matters in her own hands. What do you think she'll do? :)_

_Thank you all so much for all your wonderful reviews, they humble me and keep me going._


	14. Chapter 14

_A/N: Writing this chapter, I had My Kind of Love by Emeli Sande on repeat. I really like that song and I couldn't help but post a couple of verses at the beginning of the chapter. I feel they are perfect for Pam._

* * *

_I know sometimes I get angry,_

_And I say what I don't mean._

_I know I keep my heart protected,_

_Far away from my sleeve._

_But don't ever question if my heart beats only for you,_

_It beats only for you._

"You really need to do something, this is getting ridiculous." Jessica said exasperated and earned herself an arched brow from Tara. "I'm serious. You better go to Pam and fix it."

Two days had passed since Pam and Tara's last fight and now they were both in silent mode, avoiding each other and turning their heads in opposite directions when they did come across one another. It wasn't easy to avoid each other in Fangtasia, either. Especially with Tara working the bar and Pam sitting on the throne every night.

Jessica didn't miss the wistful looks Tara shot in Pam's direction when she wasn't looking nor the equally tormented ones Pam returned when Tara was busy. Jessica may have been the teenager, but she was the one who realized how childish her vampire friends were. Sometimes she wondered if she were the only one who saw the love between Pam and Tara. She was positive they were in love and it annoyed her to no end to realize that maker and progeny obviously weren't on the same page.

"I ain't the one who broke it." Tara huffed.

Sitting on her coffin in Fangtasia's basement, Tara wondered if that statement was true. Everything _had_ been right up until that moment when she decided to open her mouth and talk about her past. So, in a way, she did break it. She felt like kicking herself. At the same time, she knew Pam had no actual reason to act the way she did, Tara couldn't have anticipated her reaction. It wasn't much comfort, though – they were back to square one and it all started after something Tara had done. Always the first to fuck up her life, typical Tara.

Jessica's voice coming from the neighboring coffin snapped her out of her musings.

"It doesn't really matter, you know." Jessica said softly.

Tara raised her head and met Jessica's eyes. She looked more grown up, more mature and it surprised Tara. She always thought of Jessica as a little sister, but now she was getting a different kind of vibe from her.

"It doesn't matter who broke it." Jessica clarified. "What matters is that it's fixed before it's too late." For a split second, Jessica's face contorted in pain.

That's when Tara got it – Jessica was talking about Tara and Pam as much as she was talking about Jason and herself. She felt she'd broken her own relationship past the point of repair, but still she wanted to help. It made Tara smile softly, realizing for the first time that Jessica wasn't really a baby. Not anymore, at least.

"I know." Tara said dropping her gaze. "I just don't know what to do. I don't know how to get through. She's completely shut herself down."

"You do whatever it takes." Jessica said with determination in her voice.

That same determination mirrored in Tara's eyes, she nodded. "All right. Let's do this." Giving herself a little nod, Tara rose and went upstairs.

* * *

Fangtasia was closed so Tara had some time to compose herself in the main room before entering the office where Pam was. She lingered by the bar, letting her gaze roam around the room. It stopped when her eyes reached one of the dancing poles. Her pole. She immediately went back to that night, to the way she felt as she danced for Pam. Yes, there may have been other people in Fangtasia that night, but Tara had eyes only for Pam. What came later was even more important. That was the night Pam tried to comfort her after the confrontation with Lettie Mae. That was the night Tara first felt those strong yet ever so soft arms take her in their protective embrace. That was the night she felt safe for the first time in a long time.

Tara missed those arms holding her, those lips kissing her own and speaking into her ear, those legs entwined with her own as they laid in bed, those eyes always in a veil of mischief. She'd had a taste of it and she wasn't willing to let go.

Letting her eyes lock on the office door, she nodded once again, trying to reassure herself. She would do whatever it takes.

* * *

There was a slight knock on the office door. Pam lifted her head and sighed. Of course, she knew who was on the other side of the door and it scared her. She was scared every time she was near Tara, although she wasn't sure what she was really scared of. Maybe she didn't trust herself enough, maybe she felt like she couldn't control herself around Tara. Maybe she was afraid of saying something she didn't mean or, moreover, saying something she meant but wasn't supposed to ever exit her mouth.

All in all, it was hard. It was hard being around Tara and it was even harder avoiding her. Pam was grateful for every single stolen glance she got when she'd sit on her throne and watch Tara. She even went as far as muffling her side of the bond so Tara wouldn't be able to feel the majority of her feelings. She was somehow able to be mean to Tara to a certain extent, but she would never be able to make it look believable if Tara had access to her feelings.

Feelings. What a dreadful word. And yet, Pam's dead heart was filled with them. All sorts of feelings. The vast majority pointed at the beautiful girl standing just outside the door, trying to collect her courage to come in. And those feelings grew with every single night that passed. Pam was taken aback by it, she had expected that pulling back from Tara would allow her to go back to her usual self. Instead, the flame inside her grew bigger and bigger, threatening to set ablaze the walls of ice Pam spent a century building.

* * *

Then the door opened and her beautiful progeny came in, closing them behind her slowly and looking at the floor before locking her eyes with Pam's. Pam felt a pang of guilt. It was her fault that Tara was afraid, her fault that she needed courage just to face her maker. Pam chided herself mentally, it was unacceptable.

"You got a minute?" Tara asked.

Truth be told, Pam spent her days idly sitting in the office, just pretending to be busy so she wouldn't have to be around the Tara.

"Yes." She said evenly. Something in Tara's eyes told her that now was not the time to be a bitch.

Tara inhaled deeply, something she didn't have to do, but she needed to calm herself in every way possible. "I think it's time you told me what's wrong."

Pam furrowed her brows, feigning ignorance. "What?"

"Just cut the crap, okay?" Well, that was it for being calm and composed. _Whatever you need to do, _Tara repeated in her head. No one said she needed to be calm.

Even against her will, something snapped inside of Pam and she could feel the bitch taking over. It was her defense system, after all and it would kick in every time Pam felt she might be feeling just a tad too much for her liking. When it came to Tara, it was all the damned time.

She zoomed in vamp speed and appeared in front of Tara who didn't even flinch. "_Excuse_ me. I have no time for your little baby vamp problems. I'm busy." Angling her head towards the door, she added. "Now get going."

She turned around and went back to sit. Just as she was in front of the table, she felt Tara's arms around her, making her stop immediately. She could feel Tara's body behind her, hugging her own, its surface tightly pressed upon the back of Pam's body. Her body shuddered involuntarily at the sensation and she turned around.

Tara was now standing in front of her, her arms dropped at her sides. They were looking at each other intently. Tara was the one who spoke first.

"Tell me you don't want it."

Pam bit her lip. "What I want is for you to get out of the office so I can get back to my work." It was partially true. Pam wanted Tara out of the office because she didn't trust herself around her, especially after what Tara had just done. "I could command you, you know."

A shadow enveloped Tara's face. "Never took you for no coward. Guess I was wrong."

"A coward? I beg your pardon?" Pam asked incredulously.

"What else? Sure, you can command me to get the hell out, but that doesn't mean you win. That means you lose. It's a coward's way out." Tara finished matter of factly.

Pam regarded her calmly. Tara was absolutely right, but Pam wasn't ready to tell her that. She wasn't ready to let go. At the same time, she couldn't stand being called a coward.

"Oh, please, save that for someone who cares." She waved nonchalantly in front of her face and settled on the sofa. Tara kept standing, now looking down to where Pam was seated in front of her. Pam felt uncomfortable, vulnerable. Maybe sitting down wasn't such a good idea, after all.

"Yeah, that's why you closed off your side of the bond, because you don't care." Tara said with faint traces of mockery in her voice, but ever so sure of herself. She could feel Pam slowly cracking under her pressure and she was very surprised that she wasn't sent out of the office by a maker's command. This was an opportunity she was about to take.

Pam's eyes opened wide. "You know about that?"

Tara rolled her eyes and put one hand on her hip, something that painfully reminded Pam of herself. With every passing day she could see more of herself in Tara and it frightened her. It reminded her of the responsibility she had as well as Tara's expectations she wasn't sure she could live up to.

"Of course I do!" Tara said incredulously. "I'm not an idiot, ya know."

No, Tara wasn't an idiot, Pam was sure about that. In fact, she kept seeing glimpses of her brilliance whenever she spent time with her. Beneath that rough surface was an intelligent young woman with an everlasting hunger for knowledge and a witty mind that rivaled Pam's own.

Pam could do nothing but sigh at that. She was still fighting with the idea of commanding Tara to get out, but she couldn't. Every time she thought about it, one word came to her mind. _Coward_.

"So, what is it that you don't want me to know?" Tara asked.

"That's none of your business. If I wanted you to know, you would." Pam shot back.

Tara smirked. "You do realize that the fact you're trying to hide it so bad ain't helpin'? I mean, I know what this is about, even though you're fightin' so hard to keep it from me."

"Oh, really?" Pam said sounding sure, although she felt anything but.

"Yeah, and I want _you_ to tell me." Tara said as she sat beside Pam on the sofa.

"Don't ask me that." Pam said, her gaze locked on the floor in front of her.

Feeling the turmoil in Pam's voice, Tara asked softly. "Why?"

"I can't, okay? Just leave it." Pam responded raising her voice.

"No, Pam, I won't. Just tell me." Tara also raised her voice a bit, but hers was more pleading than aggressive.

Pam shot back up on her feet and took a couple of steps. Standing in the middle of the room, her back to Tara and her arms on her hips, she spoke. "Just get out."

And then she felt those arms holding her once again. In less than a second Tara was behind her, holding her as if she was holding on to her dear life. That was what Tara had been afraid of, Pam pulling back, and now it happened. She couldn't, she _wouldn't_, allow Pam to shut down.

A single red tear rolled down Pam's cheek. She could feel the adoration and determination coming from Tara's end of the bond and, once again, she felt she wasn't worthy. She also felt guilt for giving in in the first place, feeling that none of this would have happened if she hadn't. Tara's love was so pure, Pam could barely remain on her feet after taking it all in. It was as if their bond was singing and dancing from the amount of emotions it transferred and that was just on Tara's side. Pam wondered what would have happened if she opened her side of the bond. It probably would have burst.

Putting her hands over Tara's, which resided firmly on Pam's abdomen, Pam spoke softly. "I can't."

"Can't what?" Tara said from behind her, her grip on Pam ever so firm.

"I can't give you what you need." She said solemnly.

Tara released Pam from her embrace just so she could make her turn around. When she did, Tara was taken aback by the red trail on her cheek, a sure indicator of vampire tears. In Pam's case, crying was a huge thing and it happened extremely rarely. Even Tara, who didn't really know her, could feel that Pam crying was a big thing. Still, she composed herself.

"And what is it that I need?"

"Someone better than me." Pam said, her voice barely a whisper.

"No, you don't get to give me that." Tara could feel her anger rising again. "You don't get to give me that speech. I ain't buyin' that shit."

When Pam remained silent, she pressed on. Firmly gripping Pam's upper arms, she practically yelled, feeling herself growing more and more frustrated. "Tell me the truth! What are you afraid of?"

For the first time, Pam looked straight into Tara's eyes. "Hurting you." She said simply, completely resigned and feeling somewhat numb. She didn't even care that she ended up really speaking her mind. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

As confusion spread over Tara's face, Pam continued. "I will hurt you."

"You don't know that" Tara interjected, slowly processing what had just happened.

Pam gave her progeny a look which instantly closed her mouth. "I will. And you don't deserve that, not after everything you've been through." She broke their eye contact and looked to the side.

"As your maker, I command you to leave this room."

_Coward. That's all I am, all I've ever been._

Before Tara could realize what was happening, she felt Pam literally slipping out of her hands as she involuntarily started walking backwards, hurt written all over her face. And then her own hand shut the door in front of her face, ridding her of the opportunity to even say something to her maker.

Inside the room, Pam slowly walked up to the door and put both her hand and forehead on it. She found herself slowly sliding to the floor against the door as well as countless tears enveloping her face in crimson wetness. The onslaught of Tara's emotions was too strong, too heavy. Anger, resentment, sadness, frustration, fear – all aimed straight at Pam's heart which seemed to jump with each hit. Not being able to deal with all of it, she gave in and opened her side of the bond. As the terribly heavy burden of her emotions rushed towards Tara, she could only pray to whomever was listening, that she would earn her forgiveness.

* * *

_A/N: I know it's angsty, but I hope you like it. I promise it won't last long. Reviews? :)_

_I also know I promised at the end of chapter 13 that Tara would be taking matters into her own hands, but I had to split the chapter in two, it was too long. So you'll get that in chapter 15. Tara will think of something, I promise.  
_


	15. Chapter 15

_A/N: My muse has been working overtime so I was able to give you another chapter pretty quickly after the last one. Enjoy! And, once again, thank you for all your wonderful reviews!_

* * *

Tara doubled over as the full capacity of Pam's feelings hit her straight in the chest. She ended up slumping on the floor just outside the office door. The feeling was so intense she though she was going to black out for a moment.

She knew Pam was keeping her side of the bond closed because she had trouble dealing with her feelings, but she had no idea they were so intense. Sitting on the floor with her back against the door, she slowly started to comb through everything Pam was sending her. Two feelings were prominent – love and guilt. They were entwined together, like two halves of a whole, scratching against Tara's heart. She instinctively put her hand on her chest, as if to stop her heart from jumping out.

Beneath that love and guilt were numerous layers of all kinds of feelings. Care, admiration, warmth. Those were the ones Tara liked the most. Then there was the other kind, the unpleasant kind. Anxiety, concern, disappointment, emptiness and, most of all, fear. Tara didn't like that one bit. The beautiful woman on the other side of the door should never feel such things. And yet she did and it was a result of her confrontation with Tara.

_Way to go, dumbass. _She chided herself mentally. It seemed as if she had this unique ability to ruin everything good that ever touched her world. Still, she promised herself she wouldn't give up, not when it came to Pam.

After a couple of minutes, she said softly. "Let me in."

Then there was silence. Nothing came from the other side of the door. Tara sighed.

"Let me see you." She pressed on.

The only thing she heard in response were Pam's soft sobs as all those emotions continued their dance inside their bond. The sound of Pam's soft crying almost broke Tara's heart. She knew she could fix it, if only Pam would let her to. As minutes passed by, she began to question whether she would get that chance. She was determined, sure, but on the other side of that door was another very determined woman.

* * *

Pam would have probably disagreed on that one. Leaning her back against the other side of that same door was a broken woman. An empty one. A weak one. She hated everything in that moment. She hated her weakness, hated how she let her emotions get the best of her.

Emotions. A word Pam never understood. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had been very much in touch with her emotions when she'd been a young human girl. But those times were long gone. Life and death separated those two versions of Pam and she wasn't sure if she could get in touch with that bright, hopeful, loving girl that she once was. The moment her parents put her on that ship for America was the moment that girl died. Pam enveloped her heart in a veil of coldness that was never meant to be penetrated. Eric had the key to the smallest of doors on that thick wall that kept that young girl locked away, but Pam didn't mind that. He was the one who gave her this life she loved so much, he gave her power and strength, he gave her men and women, money, cars, clothes. But Tara, that stubborn girl, didn't use the door. Oh no, she rammed that very wall with her bare hands until it came crashing down.

And now Pam was left unprotected, naked. After a century of confidence and power, she felt like that young vulnerable girl. What was worse, she could hear that girl whispering in her ear.

_It's been a long time. _She could hear her say in that posh British accent. _I've missed you._

_That makes one of us. _Pam drawled in her head.

_Oh, Pamela, my dear. Do not pretend, it does not suit you._ The girl sounded very amused. _Let her in. Give in. What do you have to lose?_

_Is that a serious question? _ Amongst all the tears and sobs, Pam smirked. She felt like she was definitely losing her mind, talking to a girl inside her head. At this point, however, she didn't care.

_Do you remember what it felt like? Simply letting go and enjoying life, without a single care in the world? _

_That Pam is long gone. _Pam responded bitterly.

_Oh, really? Then who's talking to you? _The girl chuckled victoriously.

Pam could hear the chuckle slowly fading away, as if the girl was walking in the opposite direction. The last words the girl uttered before disappearing, barely a whisper, reached her ears. _Let go. _

Pam opened her eyes. She could almost feel Tara on the other side of the door. If it weren't for the damned thing, their backs would be touching. Pam so wanted to touch Tara. She wanted to feel the warmth emanating from both her body and her heart. The door between them symbolized Pam's fear, more than anything else. Pam's fear was the cause of the command that sent Tara away. That fear was the reason that every time Tara was around, that cold bitch inside of Pam would come to surface and play. It all came down to fear – something Pam spent several lifetimes trying to get away from.

"I'll give you some time. I'm off for a walk." Pam heard Tara say from the other side of the door. As she listened to the clack of Tara's boots on the hard floor slowly disappear, Pam felt the need to just open the door and run to her, hold her and never let go.

Hallucination or not, the girl inside her head did have a point. Pam remembered the carefree life she had in England. She was at the top of the world, her parents adored her, she had servants, men coming from all over the country just to court her, endless friends she spent her days with – all without a single care. She enjoyed her life to the fullest, she held nothing back and it felt so damn good.

A lot of bad things happened to that girl, though, and the only way to survive was to shut off a huge part of herself, lock it and put it away deep inside of her, never to be revisited again. Pam was wondering if she still had the key, if she could still reach down there and get that girl to come out instead of the bitch that usually did.

She thought of Tara. That stubborn girl that turned her world upside down. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of her. In so many ways, the dark skinned beauty reminded Pam of herself. She was strong, determined, fierce, fearless. But Tara had something Pam didn't – she carried her heart on her sleeve. No matter how many times Tara had been hurt, she never gave up – she kept offering that heart, hoping someone worthy would take it. Pam wanted to be that person, she wanted it more than anything, but she wasn't sure she would get the chance. Even if she did, who's to say she wouldn't simply ruin it?

However, she had to at least try. The first thing she was about to do was to tidy herself up. She looked a mess and she would make sure she looked her best when Tara came back. Not that Tara would care, but Pam did. Her vanity never left her.

* * *

Tara was slowly pacing in the parking lot of Fangtasia. She was smoking a cigarette, her third in a row. Her mind was racing, trying to think of the way to get Pam to give her a chance. She knew she'd use it well, only if she was given one. She tried to think of everything she knew about Pam, maybe the answer was hiding somewhere among all the information Tara had managed to collect about her maker in the last month.

Truth be told, she didn't know much. Pam wasn't one to have any kind of deep conversation so Tara had to connect the dots from the little pieces of information Pam would give her here and there. It hit Tara that she didn't actually know anything about her maker's past, vampire or human. She just knew Eric was her maker, that she enjoyed being a vampire and that her favorite blood type was AB+. That wasn't much, but it was something. Tara tried to imagine how a vampire her age would think, how she perceived the world, but then she realized she didn't even know how old Pam was. With Eric being a thousand years old, the possibilities were endless. Uncertainty crept into Tara as she realized how old Pam might be. Why would she possibly be interested in a girl like her?

_Whatever it takes. _Tara nodded to herself, trying to regain some of her courage. Pam _had_ been pretty interested in her, after all, especially in the sheets. The thought made Tara chuckle, though she instantly grew sad as well. She missed Pam's soft touches, the games they played, the way she purred in her ear. She even missed the bitchy Pam. She missed Pam in every capacity and form, she missed her as a whole.

As she finished her fifth cigarette and realized her pack was empty, she slowly headed inside, dreading what she would find when she entered the bar she called her home.

* * *

She definitely wasn't expecting the sight that welcomed her as she opened the door and stepped inside. Pam was slumped on a bar stool, playing with a glass of Tru Blood, watching it intently. Tara smiled at the sight of her – if that had been a glass of Whiskey instead of Tru Blood, Pam would have definitely passed as a human. She was wearing her favorite pink tracksuit and her hair was up in a ponytail. She really did look human.

"Mind if I sit?" Tara asked softly as she stood beside Pam who shook her head, still watching her glass.

Tara sat on the neighboring stool and sighed. She wasn't sure what to do, but she guessed Pam wouldn't be the one taking the initiative.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I upset you." She paused. "It's just that…I can feel you shutting down on me and I don't wanna lose you." She finished sincerely, watching Pam sheepishly.

Pam smiled bitterly. _Oh, the irony. _

"I'm not weak, Pam." Tara said with more conviction this time, although still softly. When Pam didn't respond, Tara put her hand on her forearm. "Look at me."

Pam slowly turned her head in Tara's direction and locked their eyes. Hers were the color of a stormy sea, all those emotions Tara felt through their bond mixed beautifully in those big blue pools.

"I'm not weak." Tara repeated.

"I never said you were." Pam finally spoke, her tone soft and resigned.

"But you did." Seeing the confusion on Pam's face, Tara continued. "You said you were afraid of hurting me. I'm not that fragile, ya know." Tara said with a little smile that drew a similar one on Pam's lips. "I can take care of myself and I know where my boundaries are. We ain't even close to them, you can be sure 'bout that."

"But what happens when we get there?" Pam asked slowly.

"Who says we will?" Tara huffed. "Besides, _if_ we do, we'll deal with it. It ain't the end of the world."

As Pam watched her progeny, she realized how mature and in touch with her feelings she was and how it didn't make her feel uncomfortable. Pam envied her. The things that bothered Pam immensely weren't even the smallest of blips on Tara's radar.

"Why do you think you'll hurt me?" Tara asked after a couple of minutes of silence.

Another bitter smile appeared on Pam's face. "Because I don't know how to do this, Tara. This…relationship thing." She finished with mild disgust on her lips, drawing a chuckle from Tara.

"Well, that makes two of us." Tara said, trying to stifle her giggle. "I haven't been that successful in relationships, either."

Pam shot her an annoyed look. "So, what you're saying is we're doomed from the beginning?" She drawled.

This time Tara laughed heartily, annoying Pam even further. "Not necessarily. Maybe the two dummies can come up with something. I'd put my money on us." Tara nodded.

"You _have_ no money." Pam shot back.

"That's not the point." Tara replied. "_Focus_."

Pam sighed. Tara was the only person besides Eric who could practically tell her to shut up and get away with it. Just one of the things she loved about her.

"So how do we do this?" She asked. She was way out of her comfort zone, but she promised herself and that young British girl she'd give it a try. She wasn't about to back up, not with those huge brown eyes of her progeny trained intently on her.

Tara furrowed her brows as if thinking about something. "How old are you?" She asked.

Pam was taken aback. She certainly wasn't expecting that. "140. Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"140." Tara muttered to herself, deep in her thoughts. She was going over all the history information she had stored in her head, trying to come up with something. Thankfully, it didn't take long for the idea to materialize.

Turning towards Pam, she started. "I think we should take it slow. We started fast and it didn't work out so maybe the other route will work better."

Pam could see that Tara's brain was still working on something. "So what do you suggest?"

Tara smiled and nodded to herself before continuing. Pam found it cute. Then she scolded herself mentally. Just because she decided to give all this feelings business a try, didn't mean she should melt in a puddle of joy immediately.

Tara took her hand theatrically and before Pam could have realized what was going on, she started.

"Pamela." Hearing her full name come out of those gorgeous cocoa mouth made Pam's body shiver involuntarily. It was the first time Tara said it and Pam felt it was an important moment.

"Would you allow me to court you?" With that, a mischievous smile flashed on Tara's face and she brought Pam's hand to her lips, leaving a small peck on it.

Pam arched her eyebrow. "What?" She said slowly.

Tara smiled. "Well, you're 140 years old. If I ain't mistaken, that's what you guys did back then. You wooed and courted each other to no end." Tara teased. "So why not? I'm not a man, but I can be your gentleman if you let me." She ended with a wink of her eye.

"Or, in the language of the 21st century, I'm askin' you out on a date." She added just to be sure.

For the first time in almost 20 days, Pam smiled with a full smile that reached her eyes and turned them into blue fire. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been on a date. Sure, as a vampire she had numerous humans court her, as Tara put it, over the years. Wealthy businessmen, kings and queens, presidents, actors and actresses – you name it. And as a young girl in England, she had men come and woo her, trying to get her to marry them. Her father was good enough not to force anyone on her, he gave her the right to choose as long as the choice was made by the time she reached her 21st year. Well, she spent her 21st birthday working as a lady of the night in San Francisco so that marriage never came about.

However, this was different. All those dates she had been on as a vampire had one single goal – getting blood and, possibly, money. Using people. All those visits from young and wealthy Englishmen entertained her, but she was never serious about them. This time she _was_ serious. This time it was real. For the first time in her 140 years someone she liked wanted to be with her to the point of respecting her so much that they decided to take it slow. And that someone was her brilliant progeny.

Yes, it turned out Pam hadn't seen it all. She could still be surprised, she could still get her breath taken away. She could still feel like a little girl.

"Yes. I'll go on a date with you." Pam said smiling as she gave Tara's hand a soft squeeze. And then she heard the young girl in her ear again. She was laughing heartily.

_I knew you could do it, Pamela. I knew it._

* * *

_A/N: Even though I know what's coming, I feel so giddy about this chapter. I just love the image of Pam at the end, allowing Tara to properly court her. I really hope you like it.  
_


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N: Sorry for keeping you waiting, guys, it's been a crazy couple of days for me. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if I'll be able to give you the next chapter by the end of the week. Hopefully, the length of this one will make up for it. _

_I'm going on a trip tomorrow and won't be around my computer so I rushed this one a bit. It's 2.30 am here and the chapter is barely edited so I apologize for any mistakes or inconsistencies._

_Thank you for all your reviews and PMs, they mean the world to me!  
_

* * *

Pam was pacing the floor of her walk in closet, nervously redialing Eric's number for the fifth time in the last five minutes. She was supposed to be ready in the next thirty minutes, but that seemed more impossible with each passing minute. Finally, there was a click on the other side.

"Yes." Eric said, a bit of agitation showing in his voice.

"Well, finally!" Pam exclaimed. "Why the hell do you have a phone if you don't pick up the damn thing when someone's calling you?"

"What is it, Pamela?" Eric decided to avoid answering to her cynical question. There was no point, anyway.

"What is it?" Pam said incredulously. "I'm going on a fucking date tonight and I have nothin' to wear!"

Eric chuckled on the other side. Seeing the missed calls from Pam, he'd been pretty sure he knew what it was about.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Pam continued. "Is something funny? Do share, I wanna laugh, too."

"Of course it's funny. _You_ have nothing to wear." He answered. "Please, Pam, I'm busy with the vampire/human war that almost happened a couple of weeks ago, I'm sure you can think of something."

Eric had spent the last ten days at a vampire summit in New York. All the monarchs came, as well as one sheriff from each state. Being the oldest sheriff in Louisiana, as well as a first hand witness of everything that had happened at the Authority, Eric was naturally there. They were trying to deal with the consequences of the Lilith craze – mostly PR stuff, but also appointing the members of the new Authority, as well as a new monarch of Louisiana.

"Well, I'm sorry if my problems are of no importance to you, your Highness." Pam responded indignantly.

Eric chuckled again. "Come on, Pam. You have a closet the size of a small house. Did she give you any pointers?"

"Yes. She said to dress _casual_." Pam huffed. "Who the hell dresses casual for a date? Casual is for people with no imagination." She drawled.

"Do you know where you're going?" He asked.

"Of course not. She just said not to overdo it and that we'll be walking a lot. Again, who the _hell_ walks a lot on a date?" She exclaimed exasperatedly.

Eric laughed. Some things never change, obviously. "Just wear something as close to casual as you can. I gotta go, another conference is starting in a minute." Before hanging up, he added, "And be nice, Pam."

Pam had to fight the urge to throw her phone in the direction of the nearest wall. Eric was supposed to help her, but he only made her more nervous.

_That's what you get for relying on men In matters of fashion._

"Casual." She muttered to herself as she started rummaging through her closet for the tenth time that evening.

* * *

Tara and Jessica were sitting in the living room. Tara had been ready for the last hour and she was getting more nervous by the minute. She meant what she said about the dress code for their date – she was wearing blue jeans, a black tank top and a black leather jacket. Converse shoes were on her feet, perfect for walking. That was classic, casual Tara Thornton. Okay, maybe not classic Tara Thornton – _she_ wouldn't have let her hair down, put on makeup and some nice earrings, but it was close enough.

"Where the hell is she?" She said, looking in the direction of the stairs that led to Pam's bedroom.

"What did you expect? It's _Pam_, you know." Jessica said.

Tara rolled her eyes. "I don't give a shit, if she glams up, I'mma kick her ass."

"You're seriously hoping she'll wear something casual?" Jessica asked incredulously. "I don't think 'casual' exists in her vocabulary."

Tara sighed. She knew Jessica was right, but she still hoped Pam would take her advice. They were definitely not going anywhere classy. As her mind went to the date she'd planned out for them, Tara started thinking it was a stupid idea. Jessica loved it, of course. As she heard Pam's footsteps at the top of the stairs, Tara realized it was definitely too late to change anything.

* * *

Taking in the sight of Pam, Tara had to admit that was definitely the most casual Pam she'd ever seen. Even Jessica seemed surprised.

"Casual enough?" Pam drawled, giving them a theatrical twirl.

Tara eyed Pam's body clad in a perfect pair of grey cropped tailored trousers and a pink sweater which hugged her upper body perfectly. It actually accentuated Pam's breasts, something sweaters don't normally do, and Tara couldn't help but spare them a good look before moving on. Pam being Pam, she had to wear heels, but Tara was happy to see they were nowhere near as high as usual – just enough to help perfect the already perfect Pam's posture. A medium sized handbag, modest white gold jewelry and hair put up in a very neat ponytail, as well as just the right amount of makeup, completed the look Tara would call 'a sophisticated housewife' for the lack of a better word.

"Perfect." Tara said sincerely, giving Pam a smile. She really did enjoy this dressed down version of Pam. Fangtasia outfits were cool, but they were masks, in a way, and Tara was all about getting to know the real Pam.

"You're not bad yourself." Pam replied, eyeing her progeny. The truth was, Pam liked the tomboy look Tara seemed to sport. She, of course, wouldn't be caught dead wearing something like that, but somehow it worked with Tara. Tara seemed to break all of Pam's rules. Besides, there was something about the sight of Tara in a tank top that made Pam's heart figuratively skip a beat.

With a smile,Tara approached Pam and, putting a hand on her lower back, led her out of the house. Neither bothered to acknowledge Jessica who yelled enthusiastically after them, telling them to have fun.

* * *

As Tara held open the door of Eric's black Porsche for Pam to get in, her maker eyed her suspiciously.

"How did you get him to give you this car?"

Tara gave her a smug smile. "I have my ways."

Pam's patience ran out exactly one minute later. "So, where are we going?"

Tara, who was now navigating the streets of Shreveport suburbia, smiled teasingly in Pam's direction. "So curious, are we?"

Pam rolled her eyes. "I just wanna know who's gonna see me in this _casual_ attire."

Tara chuckled. "No worries, the people who are gonna see you will never guess it's supposed to be casual. It's probably worth more than several of their monthly paychecks."

"So, you're not gonna tell me?" Pam asked.

"I might as well, I guess." She sighed. "You see, this all happened because you were afraid of hurting me, as you said." She started.

Pam immediately turned serious. She didn't really want to recall that, not on a date.

Tara picked up on it. "No, let me finish. It's my fault actually, I only told you about the bad things so it turned out my whole life was one huge mess." She paused, thinking it over. "Okay, it was, in a sense." She chuckled. "But not all the time. So I wanna take you down the memory lane and show you, not just tell you, about all the beautiful times I had and all the nice things that happened to me. In order to do that, we need to go to Bon Temps." She added peevishly, not sure how Pam was going to take that last bit.

Pam was on the brink of saying something extremely sarcastic, but after an introduction like that, she really couldn't complain. It was something Tara wanted and it obviously meant a lot to her. Besides, she liked Tara's logic. She wanted to get to know her progeny as much as possible and if it meant spending one night in a shit hole such as Bon Temps, so be it. So instead of saying anything, she simply nodded.

* * *

They pulled up in front of Merlotte's. Pam couldn't hold it in this time.

"Seriously? Here?" She drawled.

Turning the engine off and turning to Pam, Tara replied. "Yes. Here. Now come on."

Tara was very nervous about going to Merlotte's. She'd been there only once since being tuned and it didn't go that well. Besides, she hadn't had the chance to really talk to any of her human friends so she wasn't really sure it was a good idea. Still, they were there and there was no going back.

They went in together, Tara leading Pam, her hand protectively around her waist. As soon as they walked in, all eyes locked on them. There were just a few patrons, but Tara had the luck to come when Sam, Sookie and Lafayette worked the same shift. It was bound to be an interesting night.

They barely managed to sit in a booth when Sookie appeared next to them.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" She said, trying to conceal her nervousness. She presumed something happened in the vampire world. What other reason was there for Pam and Tara to come to Merlotte's together?

"Nothing." Tara said. "We're on a date." She added, giving Pam a sweet smile, happy to see she returned it.

"Oh." Sookie said. "Okay." That was definitely an unexpected turn of events. Sookie saw that Pam was eyeing her carefully so she decided to act cool, as much as it was possible given the situation.

"So," Pam started, clearly amused by Sookie. "You're gonna take our order or what?"

Sookie flashed them one of her classic nervous smiles. "Of course! What would you like?"

"One AB+ for Pam and one O+ for me." Tara said evenly.

"Coming right up!" Sookie exclaimed a tad too loud and turned on her heel.

Both Pam and Tara had to fight the urge to laugh.

"Well, something tells me this could be a fun night, after all." Pam drawled.

"Told you so." Tara said with a cheeky grin.

While they waited for their drinks, Pam took in the space around them. She'd been there once before when they were taking Bill to the Magister, but she hadn't really paid attention. Usually, it would be a place she would avoid, but it was sweet in a weird Southern way and it obviously meant something to Tara so she didn't mind being there at all. She was interrupted in her musings by Lafayette who appeared at their table, giving them their drinks instead of Sookie. She was behind the bar with Sam, both of them carefully watching Pam and Tara.

"Can I borrow my cousin here for a moment?" He asked Pam.

"Sure." Pam responded, clearly amused.

Tara rolled her eyes and sighed. "Be right back."

* * *

Lafayette didn't even manage to close the door behind him when he started. "Bitch, have you lost your God damned mind?" He exclaimed.

"I got no idea what you're talking about." Tara feigned.

"Oh, you do. The hell is wrong with you?" He was having none of it.

"What's your problem, Lafayette?" She was the one who raised her voice this time.

"I ain't the one with a problem, hookah. You is." He paused. "Goin' on a date with that bitch? You done lost your mind fosho."

Before he could even realize it, Tara's fangs were down. "Watch it, Lala. I ain't gonna tell you twice. She ain't no bitch and ya better know it." She snarled, edging towards him.

His eyes went wide as he pointed to Tara's fangs. "Now, I _know_ you did not just snap those things at me!" He finished, stepping far inside of Tara's personal space, their noses almost touching.

Tara was confused for a minute, but then she started laughing.

"'Scuse me, somethin' funny?" He was also confused.

Tara retracted her fangs. "Ah, Lala, you'll never change. You were supposed to get scared, not come all up in my face like that." She chuckled. "I guess you're just too cool for that."

"Ya better know it, gurl." He agreed.

She grew serious quickly. "I like her, Lala. I really do. I know you can't understand it, just stay out of it. Can you do that for me?"

"But don't you remember what she…" He was unable to finish because she cut him off. "I do, okay? But it don't matter. Not anymore."

He raised his eyebrows.

"Just stay out of it, okay?" She said before leaving the room and joining Pam.

* * *

Pam was just finishing up her talk with Sookie – it seemed she and Lafayette had the same thing in mind and now they were both sulking behind the bar.

"Sorry about that." Tara said, taking a sip out of her glass.

"No need, they're fun actually." Pam said teasingly, drawing a smile from Tara. "So this is where you used to work, huh?" She added looking around.

"Yup." Tara nodded. "This was the first job I managed to keep for more than a month. Sam was the only one who could put up with me." She smiled at the memory. Sam had always been one of her best friends and he never judged her. She would always be grateful for that.

"If I'm not mistaken, I've been putting up with you for little over a month now." Pam drawled.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Well, my other employers weren't really able to slam me against walls or drag me by my hair, you know."

Pam grew serious for a moment, but quickly lightened up when she saw Tara chuckling. Tara let go of that, she even understood it on some level. Pam was giving her tough love which was far better than no love at all and it kept her alive, sort of.

"Were you happy?" Pam asked.

"I was. I was surrounded by friends, I had a steady job, can't really complain."

Pam nodded. As time went by, she realized the thing Tara looked for the most was safety. Her life had been filled with uncertainties and she was happy whenever she came across something solid. Pam could relate to that – she definitely knew what it's like to live surrounded by the unknown.

"What about you? Where are you from?" Tara asked. She was determined to find out as much possible about her maker.

"London." Pam said simply.

"Really?" Tara's eyes grew wide. "How come you don't have a British accent?"

Pam smiled. There was a lot her baby vamp had yet to learn. "I left 120 years ago, Tara. Besides a couple of short visits, I haven't really been exposed to the accent ever since. After you spend some time in a certain area, you pick up its accent or language naturally."

Tara nodded, realizing her question was kind of stupid. "How many languages do you speak?"

"Eight. And I know my way around in a couple of more." Pam replied. She was amused by Tara's questioning which made her feel like she was being interrogated by the police, but it was also sweet at the same time.

"Wow. Eight languages." Tara said more to herself.

"That's not really a lot." Pam said. "I have no idea how many languages does Eric speak. Pretty sure he doesn't either. It's just the way it goes. Vampires used to move a lot and with moving came the learning of new languages. Besides, vampires have plenty of time to learn anything." She finished.

Tara liked the idea of that, she'd always been thirsty for knowledge. Unfortunately, she hadn't had the money to go to college and someone had to take care of her mother so she gave up on that part of her dreams. It seemed she'd get her chance to learn, after all.

They spent the next hour talking about little things like that. Tara told Pam bits about her growing up with Sookie and Lafayette and Pam told her about life in England more than a century ago. Tara wanted to know everything and she was surprised to learn Pam had been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Somehow they never touched the subject of Pam's turning and she was glad for that – she didn't want their light conversation to turn into a serious one, which it would if she were to talk about her human profession and the way she was turned.

Pam liked the spark that showed in Tara's eyes when she spoke about her childhood in Adele Stackhouse's house. The more Tara spoke, the more Pam wished to have been able to meet the old lady that took such good care of Tara. She also liked the interest Tara showed in everything Pam would talk about – it was all fascinating to her. She was still stuck on the human concept of time so it was hard for her to fully grasp immortality and all the great things that came with it. Still, she seemed open to it and it pleased Pam. As someone who loved being a vampire, Pam was glad that Tara seemed to be warming up to it.

* * *

Merlotte's closed at 11 pm. It was far too early to go home.

"Would you like to take a walk with me?" Tara asked hopefully.

_So, this is the walking part. _Pam thought to herself. Honestly, after the night they'd had, she didn't want to go home. Who would have thought that she would have fun in a bar in Bon Temps? Her progeny was full of surprises.

"Sure." She said, getting a huge grin from Tara.

They left the car in Merlotte's parking lot and started towards the main and only square in Bon Temps. Being a town with the population of almost 3000, it didn't have a lot to offer. Still, Tara wanted to show Pam around.

The first thing they came across was Tara's old high school. It was closed, of course, but the fence proved to be no obstacle for vampires. At first, Pam didn't want to do it, but seeing the enthusiasm in Tara's eyes, she jumped over the fence and sneaked in with her progeny. Surprisingly, it felt good and they both chuckled as they edged towards an outside basketball court. As soon as she saw it, Tara jumped and landed on top of the hoop.

"Ha!" She exclaimed victoriously. "And they told me I'd never dunk!"

Pam laughed heartily. Tara was a grown up and a child at the same tome and it actually worked. She found herself constantly smiling around her – Tara's playfulness knew no limits.

After leaving the school grounds, Tara showed Pam the library, the kindergarten, the mall and pretty much anything Bon temps had to offer. Their last stop was a small church.

Standing outside of it, Tara spoke. "This is where I spent most of my days growing up when I wasn't at Sookie's. I used to sing in the church choir."

"Really? You can sing?" Pam asked.

"Yup." Tara nodded. Those were also good times. There were a lot of kids in that choir and most of them were good to her. Even when they started to tease her about her mom and her old clothes, Tara still enjoyed singing. It was something she was really good at and it filled her with pride.

Tara looked behind Pam and pointed to a bush of red roses. "I helped plant those, you know." In one swift move, she was standing by the bush, holding a freshly plucked rose in her hand. She gave it to Pam almost shyly.

Pam smiled. "Thank you." Taking in its scent, she added. "It's beautiful."

And to her, it truly was beautiful, maybe the most beautiful flower she'd ever gotten and she'd gotten quite a few of them. It wasn't just a rose, it was a symbol of everything Tara meant to her, of every single change that happened to Pam after Tara stormed into her life. It was simple and beautiful, just like Tara. There were no hidden messages behind it, no hidden agendas – it was just a simple sign of affection and, as such, it meant the world to Pam. She had gotten a lot of gifts in her life, but very few of them had been sincere the way this simple flower was.

* * *

They went back to the safe house after that. They spent the drive home in pleasant silence, each deep in her own thoughts.

Pam was holding her rose, thinking about everything new she'd learned about Tara. She was still surprised at how much fun she had in a place like Bon Temps. Her progeny proved to be brilliant once more.

Tara was over the moon with the way their date went. She'd been very nervous prior to it, but Pam proved to be a real sport and she allowed Tara to give her a real glimpse into her world. Moreover, Pam opened up to Tara and gave her a precious look inside her head and Tara appreciated that greatly.

* * *

They both had smiles on their faces as they entered the house. Jessica had already retired in her room so they went upstairs.

Stopping in front of Pam's bedroom, Tara turned to her and smiled. "I hope you had a nice time. I know I did."

Pam smiled sincerely. "I really did."

"Thank you for giving me the chance." Tara added softly.

"Thank you for not giving up and being stubborn as hell." Pam responded and they both chuckled.

Pointing to the door of Pam's bedroom, Tara spoke. "This is the best I can do when it comes to walking you home since we live in the same house."

Pam smiled. Tara really wanted to deliver in the gentleman area and she was definitely on point.

Before she knew what hit her, she felt Tara's lips on her cheek, kissing her softly. She closed her eyes and put her hands on Tara's shoulders, drawing her in. Tara replied by wrapping her arms around Pam, but she didn't move her lips from her cheek. She lingered there, relishing in the feel of Pam's skin of her own. She missed it greatly. She inhaled Pam's perfume mixed with her natural scent that reminded Tara of a field of all kinds of flowers, as if trying to memorize it.

She wanted more, so much more. She was the one who suggested taking it slow, however, and she was going to stick to it. Instead of doing what she really wanted to, which consisted of throwing Pam on her bed and ravishing her till the sun came up, she murmured in her ear.

"Would you go out with me again?" With that, she pulled back and looked Pam in the eyes.

Pam groaned softly at the loss of contact, but smiled quickly. "I would love to."

Tara grinned and, after giving Pam another quick peck on the cheek, retreated to her room. It was either that or losing control and literally jumping on Pam.

Pam entered her room and sat on the bed. A part of her was disappointed because she really didn't like the fact that Tara was in the other room, but the biggest part of her was grateful and satisfied. Tara showed her once more what it's like to be respected and truly wanted. The thought of that made her heart warm up and a red tear to slip from her eye. It was a tear of joy. Joy for knowing that she'd finally found someone who wanted her for her, someone who wanted to make her happy and someone who simply wanted to love and cherish her. Looking in the direction of her progeny's room, she decided it had definitely been worth the century long wait.

* * *

_A/N: I know it's all over the place, but I really need to go to bed, lol. Reviews are welcome, as always._


	17. Chapter 17

_A/N: I apologize for keeping you waiting, I really wasn't able to write another chapter till today. Thank you for all your reviews and I hope you like the chapter!_

* * *

Tara was working the bar in Fangtasia again. Jessica was slumped on one of the bar stools, a spot that had become her usual already. She was babbling her ass off about Jason, completely oblivious to the fact that Tara paid her no mind. No, she was too busy eyefucking Pam who was seated on her throne in all her magnificent glory. Pam was engaged in the same activity – there was no turning away this time and it encouraged Tara. She'd been afraid Pam would pull back again after their date, but she didn't. She wasn't in a 'teenage-girl-in-love' mode either, but that was fine. Tara wasn't expecting it anyway. Still, her maker had been warmer towards her since their date and Tara dared to hope such behavior would continue.

"Are you even listenin' to me?" Jessica's voice almost made Tara jump.

She turned to Jessica with confusion in her eyes. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"

Jessica rolled her eyes. She found Tara adorable and she also noticed that her best friends had made some progress in their relationship. It made her happy.

"When's the next date?" She asked smiling.

Tara sighed. "I got no idea. I don't know where to take her."

The truth was, Tara was worried about their second date. She really did have no idea where to take Pam and it irritated her. She'd asked Pam out before she even thought about it and now it came back to bite her in the ass. She was hoping an idea would pop into her mind in the next couple of days at most – she was anxious to be with Pam alone again. Sure, it was great to be around her all the time, but they had no time to themselves. Fangtasia was full every night and they were both busy working. When the bar closed at 4 am every night, they had tons of paperwork to sort through. Even when _that _was done, Jessica was with them. She slept in the same basement so that really meant no time alone for Pam and Tara.

Looking at the young vampire that had become her best friend, Tara couldn't help but smile. She was extremely supportive of her, rooting for her and Pam, trying to help any way she could. Tara really wasn't able to mind Jessica being around and, consequently, being the third wheel – she had nowhere to go and she was a great friend.

"Have you thought about that new vamp bar in Bossier City? I hear it's great." Jessica chimed in.

"Seriously, Jess? A vamp bar?" Tara looked at her like she was crazy. "She spends most of her time in a vamp bar. Why would she wanna go to another one?"

Jessica furrowed her brows. "Shoot, you're right. You'll think of somethin', don't worry." She added. "I gotta go, I'm hungry." She winked mischievously.

Tara smiled and nodded. She sure was hoping something would come up, she was really eager to take Pam on their second date.

She'd realized that taking things slow had a down side. A big one. All she could think about was Pam, kissing her, touching her, making love to her. Yet, she couldn't do that if she wanted to stick to her initial plan and proposal Pam had accepted. Still, the thought that it had been almost three weeks since she'd last kissed those luscious full lips was really starting to trouble her.

* * *

If she were able to read Tara's mind, Pam would have agreed. She watched over her progeny every night like a hawk, making sure everything was in order and no one was troubling her. She'd noticed Tara had quite a few standard admirers among the fangbangers and new ones were added to the list every night. She was pleased to see that Tara was more than capable to deal with them. Really, Tara turned out to be a great vampire and Pam was sure she'd just get more and more magnificent as years passed by.

Still, that wasn't the only reason Pam was watching Tara so intently. She realized that she was simply drawn to her on some deep animalistic level. It was as if she could feel the bond inside of her pulling her to the dark skinned beauty and she couldn't fight it. Not that she was trying, anyway. Ever since their first date, Pam felt more and more comfortable with her feelings and being around Tara. She deeply appreciated Tara suggesting them to take things slow – it showed the amount of respect Tara had for her and it warmed her heart.

However, as each day passed, Pam realized it was increasingly hard to be in Tara's vicinity without literally jumping on her. Everything about her invited her in – her brilliant smile and expressive eyes, her perfect skin and toned body, the grace with which she carried herself and, most of all, the evident feelings of love and adoration Pam was able to feel through their bond. She was hoping their second date would happen soon because she wasn't sure how much longer she could control herself.

She was pulled out of her thoughts by the soft buzzing of her phone, stashed safely inside a drawer in her office. She descended from her throne and moved graciously across the floor, drawing all eyes to herself. It felt good and she couldn't help but smirk a little. What felt even better were Tara's eyes watching her hungrily. Pam couldn't help but transform her smirk into a full smile at the sight of her progeny who wasn't even trying to mask her desire.

* * *

A couple of minutes later Tara felt her maker calling her through their bond. It was an exquisite feeling, one she was still getting used to. For that split second, her whole body vibrated and she could feel Pam in every atom of her being. Of course, the compulsion she felt to run to her was too strong to fight, not that Tara would ever do that, and she zoomed into the office.

Pam was standing in front of the table, her phone still in her hand.

"What's up?" Tara asked slowly, not able to decipher the look on Pam's face.

"Eric just called. He's the new king of Louisiana." Pam breathed out as if not believing the words that she'd just uttered.

Tara's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You serious?"

Pam nodded in response.

Tara's brows furrowed. "But who's the sheriff now? Is it you?"

Pam smiled. "No, I'm far too young for that. And I wouldn't want it anyway." She added with a smirk. "Since he's the new king, Eric will appoint someone to the position."

Pam wasn't sure how she felt about the news she'd received. On one hand, she was happy to see Eric advance in the vampire world. He was the best, most magnificent vampire she'd known and she was absolutely sure he'd be a great king. On the other hand, that meant they'd spend even less time together. Pam didn't like that, especially after him releasing her. She felt like she lost him almost completely in a matter of weeks.

A month and a half ago everything was fine. Eric was the sheriff of area 5, spending most of his time on his throne in Fangtasia. Pam was his right hand, as she'd been for the last one hundred years. When she wasn't helping Eric with mundane everyday things, she was busy spending vast amounts of his money on clothes, shoes, jewelry and anything else she could think of. That was her comfort zone, that was the place she felt the safest.

And then so many things happened and everything changed. She closed her eyes in a desperate attempt to feel her bond with Eric. Sadly, it was gone. That familiar buzz of his life inside of her was silenced forever.

* * *

She felt Tara's hand on her cheek. "Hey." She said softly. "What is it?"

Pam leaned into the warm touch and smiled. Right beside that empty spot which pained her deeply was a new bond, humming with life and warmth. Yes, that was another thing that hadn't been there several weeks ago. Then she thought it was a disaster. Now, feeling Tara's soft touch and worried eyes on her, it was the thing she was the most grateful for. It was funny how Pam couldn't imagine her life without that bond and without the girl that was standing in front of her, eyeing her carefully. Life really did have funny ways. You win some and you lose some. Pam had won big, more than she thought she deserved.

She opened her deep blue eyes and locked them with worried brown ones. "Nothing." She said softly. "I was just thinking about everything that's happened recently. It sure has been a crazy ride." She added with a little smile.

Tara smiled back. Pam was right. Who'd think that dying would be the craziest and best thing to happen to Tara Thornton? And yet it happened and Tara couldn't remember a time when she'd felt more safe and happy then right then and there, gently touching her maker's face.

Without even thinking, she leaned closer and locked her lips with Pam's. Their lips barely brushed, but it was enough for Tara to feel dizzy for a moment. It was as if every single cell in her body screamed with satisfaction. It felt right. It felt like home. Still, she pulled back a couple of inches and looked into Pam's eyes. Pam also looked a bit unstable and it took the fog in her eyes a moment to disperse. She could feel uncertainty coming from Tara's end of the bond. She smiled and took Tara's face in her hands, pulling her back in. She could feel Tara's body relax into the touch and simply give in.

This time the kiss went deeper as they engaged in an enticing dance of lips and soft moans. Still, it wasn't rushed or out of control. No, they took their time, relishing in the simple act of intimacy. Their hands roamed each other's bodies, slowly exploring.

As she gave in to the kiss and all the feelings buzzing inside of her, Pam felt good. No, she felt much better than good, she felt great, amazing and any other superlative you can think of. More importantly, she felt safe in Tara's embrace, she felt like she could be herself. Her side of the bond was wide open – Pam had decided to let the bond speak all the things she was still unable, hoping Tara would understand.

The kiss grew more and more passionate until Tara pulled back, breathing heavily as if she needed the air. "Um." She started, completely confused, trying to get her head straight. "So. Um. I was thinking…"

They looked at each other and laughed. Tara was acting like a teenage girl and it amused them both. Pam found the way Tara was shaking her head especially adorable.

"You were saying?" She drawled.

Tara took a deep breath, calming herself theatrically. "Did you need me for something else or you just wanted to tell me about Eric?"

"Well, I can think of several things I need you for." Pam said suggestively, amusement evident in every word.

Against Pam's expectations, Tara didn't even flinch. "Is that so?" She responded equally amused.

Pam answered by pulling Tara in for another fiery kiss. Tara could feel herself losing control as she lifted Pam and put her on the table, positioning herself between her maker's legs which opened invitingly. Tara didn't know whether to be glad or agitated by the fact that Pam was wearing pants. She had no time to ponder that since Pam was making sure she was focused on her and her only. Tara moved to Pam's neck, planting soft kisses all over the sensitive flesh, eliciting several soft moans from her maker along the way.

* * *

Just as she was starting to really get into it, the door to the office opened and Jessica jumped inside. Without even looking up, she started. "Hey, guys..." She lost the ability to talk as her eyes locked on the sight before her.

Tara and Pam both groaned in agitation. Tara turned around slowly, shooting a deathly stare towards Jessica who literally gulped in response.

"Um…" Jessica started nervously, trying to remember why she came in in the first place.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, spit it out!" Pam said, still sitting on the table.

"I'm sorry I barged in, I wasn't expecting…" Jessica said only to be cut off by Pam again.

"Well, fuck me, here I was, thinking you're were a vampire. One would think you'd have working vampire ears which would be able to pick up on the sounds behind the door. Guess I was wrong." She drawled.

Tara chuckled, remembering the sounds Pam was making just a couple of minutes ago.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, okay? Anyway, Eric's here. He came to pick us up, he's throwing some kind of a party."

Pam's brows furrowed. "What? Where?"

"In Bill's mansion. He just said he was the king and he was throwing us all a party." Jessica shrugged.

Pam groaned. It seemed she and Tara would have to get a rain check on their fun activities.

As they walked towards the exit and the limo that was waiting for them, a part of Tara was happy for the way things turned out. There was no way in hell she would have been able to control herself and it seemed that the same thing applied to Pam. While she wouldn't really object to finally having some fun with Pam, that wasn't Tara's plan. She wanted it to be special. Ravishing Pam in Fangtasia's office may be fun, but there was nothing special about it.

Just as they settled in the back of the limo, an idea materialized in Tara's head. She knew exactly where to take Pam for their special date.

* * *

_A/N: I hope I'll be able to give you the next chapter in the next couple of days. Reviews are very welcome! :)_


	18. Chapter 18

_A/N: First of all, thank you for all your kind reviews, you have no idea how much they mean to me. That said, here's chapter 18! Bear in mind, it's almost 3 am so there might be some mistakes, I'm too tired too thoroughly edit it, but I wanted you guys to have it._

_Also, the songs featured in the chapter are both by Elvis Presley. The first one is called 'Surrender' and the other one is 'Burning Love'._

* * *

Tara was sitting at one of the Fangtasia tables, waiting for Pam to emerge from the office. Fangtasia was closed and they would be on their way to their special date as soon as Pam finished going over some papers. Tara was nervous, but not as nervous as she'd been about their first date. This time she was pretty sure Pam would like it.

"Hey." Jessica announced cheerfully as she sat on a chair next to Tara. "All set?"

"Yup." Tara nodded.

"Where's Pam?" Jessica asked, looking around the bar.

"In the office. She should be out in a minute." Tara said evenly.

"Have you heard from Sookie?" Jessica asked conspiratorially.

Tara smiled at Jessica's eagerness. She sure was happy to be included and Tara couldn't fault her for that. It was as if Jessica was their own personal cheerleader. "Yeah, everything's in place."

Still, Tara went over her plans mentally, making sure she had everything covered. She had to ask for Sookie and Eric's help in order to get everything just the way she wanted. Thankfully, Eric's inauguration party came at just the right moment and she was able to plan everything with them. Of course, getting away from Pam turned out to be not so easy, but there was Jessica, happy to distract Pam with some of her typical baby vamp questions. As Pam explained the ways of vampires to Jessica for the hundredth time, Tara sneaked away and made her plan known to Eric and Sookie. Eric was happy to help. He was both amused and genuinely happy for his progeny, realizing just how perfect Tara was for her. Sookie was still a bit apprehensive, but she turned out to be a good sport and played along.

* * *

The party itself was great. Vampires from all across the state, as well as the monarchs of the neighboring states, were enjoying themselves on the back lawn of the mansion that used to belong to Bill Compton and was now Eric's. Eric could have chosen another location for his seat, but he opted for staying in Bon Temps. That way he was able to stay close to Pam and Fangtasia. He also wanted to be close to Sookie, especially after she'd started to show a great deal of interest in being with him again. It was a win - win situation.

Tara was particularly excited by the extensive choice of blood that was served. There was no Tru Blood, only the real deal. From willing donors, of course. There were no actual donors there – they kept it classy, drinking from glasses. There was even a blood fountain. Pam also enjoyed seeing Tara so eager and accepting of her vampire nature and she gladly went through every single type of blood with her progeny. It turned out that the blood type isn't the only thing that differentiates one donor from another – there are numerous factors that play the role in the taste of blood. By the end of the evening, Tara was able notice many characteristics – such as gender, race, even the eating habits – of the donors whose blood she was drinking. Pam was proud, seeing what a fast learner her progeny was. She truly was a promising young vampire.

That wasn't the best part of the evening, however. That happened a little after midnight when Bubba stepped on the stage that was also set up on the lawn. He had shown up in Las Vegas ten days prior, claiming Bill released him and then escaped to South America. Bubba was rarely in the mood for singing and he would throw a fit when someone would try to persuade him to do so or, God forbid, call him by his real name. But when he was in the mood, good times were guaranteed.

* * *

He opened the set with an acoustic version of Surrender. As the first verses sang in that beautiful tone of the King's voice filled the night air, Tara couldn't help but lock her eyes with Pam's.

_When we kiss, my heart's on fire,_

_Burning with a strange desire._

_And I know each time I kiss you,_

_That your heart's on fire, too._

She took in the sight of her maker clad in a perfect little black dress that showed her milky long legs in all their glory. She couldn't help but lick her lips as desire shot through her. However, she composed herself enough to extend her arm and invite Pam for a dance. She was over the moon when the blonde accepted and they joined the others already dancing in front of the stage.

_So my darling please surrender,_

_All your love so warm and tender._

_Let me hold you in my arms, dear,_

_While the moon shines bright above._

Tara lost herself in Pam's eyes as they glided effortlessly. The only thing that registered with her were the lyrics of the song and she smiled, realizing that the song spoke for her perfectly. Pam smiled knowingly, picking up on Tara's train of thought.

_All the stars will tell the story_

_Of our love and all its glory._

_Let us take this night of magic_

_And make it a night of love._

"So, does this count as a date?" Pam whispered in Tara's ear.

Tara grinned. "Well, it does kinda feel like one so what the hell." She finished, twirling Pam around.

Their bond vibrated with happiness and desire and Tara found it hard to keep her hands from roaming all over Pam's body. Pam felt much the same.

_Won't you please surrender to me,_

_Your lips, your arms, your heart, dear._

_Be mine forever._

_Be mine tonight._

* * *

By the time Bubba sang the last note, Pam and Tara were nowhere to be found. They had retreated back into the house, which was conveniently empty, and they were very busy with following Bubba's advice and surrendering to each other. They were in one of the bedrooms, kissing passionately while their hands roamed all over each other's bodies. They could still hear the unmistakable sound of Bubba's voice from the outside. He was singing a faster song this time and it once more fitted Pam and Tara perfectly.

_Girl, girl, girl,_

_You gonna set me on fire._

_My brain is flaming,_

_I don't know which way to go._

They were both crazy with desire and Tara had to focus very hard and use all her strength not to rip Pam's dress from her body right then and there. Pam's moans weren't helping at all.

_I feel my temperature rising._

_Help me, I'm flaming,_

_I must be a hundred and nine._

_Burning, burning, burning,_

_And nothing can cool me._

_I just might turn into smoke,_

_But I feel fine._

As Tara took in the lyrics, she had to agree – she did feel very hot and on the verge of burning up. The throbbing between her legs only made her feel hotter, as well as the way Pam panted in her ear. She couldn't help but slip her hand between Pam's thighs, thankful for the fact they were both wearing dresses which made things much easier. She groaned as she felt how wet Pam was.

And then there was a knock on the door.

"Ladies, if you would please join us outside." Eric said from the other side of the door, amusement obvious in his voice. "The ceremony is about to begin and I will not be crowned without my family standing witness." The voice grew a bit more stern.

Pam and Tara groaned in frustration. It was as if the Universe itself was against them. They both had to refrain themselves from smashing something or _someone_.

* * *

"Oh, hi Pam!" Jessica said cheerfully, bringing Tara back to reality.

She turned and saw her maker in one of her favorite pink tracksuits, her hair in a pony tail. She smiled. "You ready?"

Pam rolled her eyes. "Well, I thought it was _obvious_ from the way I'm dressed that I'm ready for a _date_." She said, sarcasm dripping from every word. Tara had commanded her once again to dress casually, only this time she gave her a choice between several track suits. She did her best to convince Pam that no one was going to see them, but Pam still didn't like it.

Tara chuckled. "Come on, it's perfect." She herself was dressed similarly. The date that was ahead of them was definitely a casual one.

"_You're_ perfect." She said more softly, as she gazed into Pam's eyes. Pam's shoulders relaxed and she allowed herself to be swept away by the depth of Tara's chocolate eyes as well as her devotion.

The moment was gone the second "Aww" escaped Jessica's lips. "You guys are adorable!" She added, grinning like a schoolgirl.

Pam rolled her eyes, but bit back a snarky comment. She wasn't in the mood. "Let's go." She said to Tara instead and they were on their way a couple of seconds later.

* * *

Pam groaned exasperated as Tara parked their car next to Sookie's on her front lawn. "You have _got_ to be fuckin' kiddin' me!"

"Chill out." Tara turned to her. "We ain't goin' to Sookie's, we're just leaving the car here. Come on."

Okay, that made Pam feel a little bit better, but it only made her feel more confused. If they weren't going to Sookie's, where the hell was Tara's taking her? There was nothing there, save for the old graveyard and Eric's mansion on the other side of it.

Tara could feel Pam's confusion as they stepped out of the car. She took her hand and tried to reassure her. "Just trust me, okay?"

Pam looked at her and nodded, still not completely convinced. However, the next thing she knew, Tara scooped her up in her arms and vamp sped them into the woods next to Sookie's yard. She put her down a minute later, when they were deep in the dark forest.

"What the _hell_, Tara?" Pam growled. "Are we on a huntin' trip or somethin'?" She didn't like this at all.

Much to Pam's dismay, Tara chuckled and took her hand, pulling her forward. "Come on, we're almost there."

* * *

And she was telling the truth. Just a couple of steps later, they entered a fairly big clearing in the woods, shaped as an almost perfect circle. In the dead center of it was a blanket, as well as a couple of champagne looking bottles. Not far away from the blanket was a little stream, the sound of water tickling Pam's ears. It was all enveloped in the soft moonlight, completing the fantasy setting.

Pam's mouth literally dropped open as she stood at the edge of the woods, almost afraid to make another step. She felt like she was in a beautiful dream and she was afraid she would disturb it by making a move. Romantic gestures were one thing, but this was on a whole another level. Only Tara, her beautiful progeny, would be able to think of something like that. Only Tara would even want to do something like that for her, only Tara would make such an effort. Pam had to fight back tears which were threatening to fall out of her eyes.

"So? You like it?" Tara asked softly, standing behind Pam, her hands wrapped around her maker and settled on her abdomen.

Pam put her hands over Tara's and leaned back into her body. "It's perfect." She whispered softly, still afraid she would disturb the beautiful image before her.

"Come." Tara said softly, leading Pam by the hand.

They reached the blanket and settled down slowly, still holding each other's hand. Pam looked up and saw thousands of stars spilled all across the clear night sky.

"It's beautiful." She whispered.

"I know." Tara smiled. "I used to come here with Sookie all the time when we were kids. We'd bring an old astrology book and do some stargazing." She chuckled remembering how Sookie's grandma didn't appreciate their brilliant idea of going into the woods at night.

"Here." The sound of Tara's voice made Pam break her gaze and look down to see her progeny holding a glass of blood. Her nose immediately told her it was an absolutely exquisite specimen of AB+.

"Where did you get this?" She asked, accepting the glass.

"I had a little deal with Eric." Tara winked mischievously. "He gave me a couple of bottles after the party."

Pam nodded and smiled. She liked how her maker and progeny were getting along, as well as the resourcefulness Tara showed each day. She was simply overwhelmed.

"I.." She started, feeling the surge of emotions bubble inside of her, knowing she was on the verge of saying some very meaningful words. Tara felt those emotions through the bond and her eyes slightly widened in anticipation.

"…Don't know what to say." Pam finished after a moment, biting her lip. Those were not the words she meant to say.

Tara smiled. "It's okay. You don't have to say anything." With that, she leaned in and kissed Pam slowly, her hand stroking her cheek affectionately.

Tara could feel Pam wasn't ready to say those big words yet and she wasn't about to put any kind of pressure on her. She hadn't said them either. Besides, even though Pam hadn't vocalized her feelings yet, she made them obvious through her actions and that meant the world to Tara. Saying a couple of words wouldn't really change anything – they both knew how they felt, anyway.

Besides, Tara was intent on making this the best night of Pam's long life and there was no point in having any kind of inner struggle. This was about Pam. This was about the love of Tara's life. They were on their special date. What more could Tara want?

* * *

_A/N: I'm sorry to end here, but it would have been too long otherwise. I promise to update as soon as I can. I will do my absolute best with their special date. Your thoughts are welcome as always!_


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N: I'm sorry for keeping you waiting again. This was a very difficult chapter for me to write and I had to stop several times to fight actual tears. So, yeah, there's some angst coming, but sun shines at the end._

**Warning**: _This chapter contains M rated sexual content._

* * *

"_A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults." _

_Charles Kingsley_

* * *

"What are you thinkin' about?" Pam asked softly as they lay on their backs, watching the star filled night sky.

"You." Tara replied in an equally soft voice, gently squeezing Pam's hand.

Pam smiled. "What about me?"

"Just how crazy this all is." Tara chuckled softly as her eyes continued to roam the thousands of stars above their heads. "I mean, who would have thought that you and I would end up together after everything."

Pam smiled. She felt the same way. Sometimes it felt surreal to her, almost to the point she had to pinch herself just to make sure she wasn't dreaming.

"Can I ask you somethin'?" Tara added.

When Pam nodded, she continued. "What was your human life like?"

Pam's body stiffened involuntarily for a moment before she forced herself to relax, not wanting to alarm Tara. "It was okay. I mean, I had everything I wanted. I was the eldest daughter of rich, upper class parents. The world was at my feet."

She sighed as memories started to flood her mind. She really was happy growing up and she really did have everything she wanted. Thinking back on it, she wasn't sure that was necessarily a good thing. Her parents ended up spoiling her too much and it hurt so much more when her carefree life was abruptly taken away from her.

"But?" Tara asked carefully, feeling there was more to it than Pam was letting on.

"_But_," Pam continued. "It didn't last long."

"What happened?"

"My father caught me in a…compromising situation with one of my female friends." Pam deadpanned.

Tara couldn't help but chuckle. Yes, that was so Pam. Even back then she was full of mischief. However, noticing that Pam wasn't chuckling along, Tara quickly composed herself. "And then what happened?"

"And _then,_ he renounced me and put me on a ship heading for America." She said, her eyes suddenly growing a couple of shades darker.

She could still remember the way it felt, the way it hurt. How much she pleaded with her father, begged him to forgive her, how many times she promised she would never do something like that again and that she would be a good daughter to him. The compromising situation in question was a kiss on the lips she shared with her best friend, nothing more. Sure, she was curious, but she didn't act on it. And yet, her father grew cold and he wouldn't hear her excuses and explanations. In his eyes, that was the day his daughter disgraced their family and ceased to exist.

Pam was a twenty year old girl, used to living without a single care in the world. Her father had always been strict, but he also always had a soft spot for his Pamela, his pride and joy. She would simply flutter her long eyelashes and he would melt, giving her whatever she wanted. It made her younger sisters extremely jealous of her, but she didn't care – she played with the cards she was dealt and she played them good.

"_What_?" Tara exclaimed turning her head in Pam's direction, not wanting to believe what she had just heard. Sure, she knew all there was to know about shitty parents, but sending your child away never to return again was a bit much even for her standards.

Pam smiled a sad smile, one that never reached her deep blue eyes. "It was different back then, especially amongst the elite. There was a protocol to be followed and one had practically no control over their destiny. Disgracing your family was the biggest sin there was and, in my father's eyes, that was what I did."

The words flowed out of her mouth easily and she almost believed herself. She could understand her father on some distant level, but it could never justify what he did. No method of rationalization could remove the bitter taste which enveloped Pam's mouth every time she thought of her human father. She needed him desperately and he turned his back on her.

"Motherfucker." Tara breathed out incredulously and earned another sad smile from Pam. "What did you do then?"

"Well, the ship's final destination was San Francisco so that's where I settled." Pam said evenly.

Even if she lived for thousands of years, Pam would never forget that cold February night and the dread that crept into her as she put her feet on the strange and unfamiliar American soil. She knew no one, she had nowhere to go, she had money enough to get her by for a couple of days. Of all the wealth, gold and warmth that had surrounded her up until that point, all she had left were the clothes on her back and a handful of money in her hand.

A lone crimson tear rolled slowly down Pam's milky cheek before she wiped it away, not giving Tara the chance to do it herself. Tara's gaze was fixed on her maker's face, even though the woman she adored so much refused to return it, choosing to look at the sky instead. Tara understood why Pam wouldn't look at her, though. It was a method she herself used numerous times, as if fixing her gaze on something irrelevant would somehow lessen all the pain inside.

"I had no money so I found a job." Pam said, resolved to get it all out of her system no matter how much it hurt.

"Where?" Tara asked when Pam didn't continue right away.

"In a…brothel." Pam said, her voice barely a whisper, her jaw clenched.

Tara swallowed hard and closed her eyes, her head falling down, a shaky breath escaping her mouth. This was heavy. And there she was, thinking _she'd_ had it bad.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered a couple of moments later, raising her head to look at Pam.

"You have nothing to feel sorry about." Pam said in an empty voice, turning her head to look at her progeny. Her eyes were the color of a stormy sky, red tears rolling freely down her face. There was no point in wiping them away – it wouldn't erase the fact they'd been shed.

Just the way burying all those terrible memories wouldn't mean Pam hadn't lived through them. Nothing would erase the cold look in her father's eyes when he informed her of her trip to America. The cold San Francisco air that chilled her very soul that faithful night. The man who took her virginity not a week later, throwing a couple of bills on the bed as he exited the room with a satisfied smirk on his face. The way she wept herself to sleep that night. And so many nights that came after.

She watched her progeny who cried along, her deep brown eyes tormented with not being able to do anything to ease her maker's pain. Their bond was filled with anxiety and deep sadness. Pam could feel compassion and love coming from Tara's end of it and she couldn't help but feel just a bit warmer, just a bit calmer. As she gazed over the dark skinned beauty, she couldn't help but think of her maker, her knight in shining armor.

"Eric came 15 years later and turned me." Pam smiled genuinely, adoration evident in her eyes.

"15 years?" Tara repeated. She shivered at the thought of everything Pam must have gone through until Eric's arrival. "You were still…working there?" She added carefully, not wanting to disturb her maker, but she needed to know.

Pam smiled, taking in the way Tara worried about her. "Yes, but I was a madame at the time so I wasn't really…working anymore."

Yes, by the time Eric showed up, Pam had been the owner of an established business and, as such, she wasn't required to work in the traditional way. However, that didn't make it easy. She was responsible for numerous girls that worked for her, all just as scared and alone as she'd been 15 years prior. She couldn't count the times she soothed weeping, broken women – both mentally and physically – or how many of them she buried young, disease giving them a way out of their tormented lives. They were all forever etched in Pam's perfect memory, all of her dear beautiful girls.

"But still, all those years…" Tara started, but Pam cut her off before she had the chance to finish.

"I was reborn the night he turned me. That was the night I finally took the reins of my life in my own hands. It was the greatest gift anyone had ever given me." Pam said and she meant every single word.

* * *

"Are you sorry you turned me?" Tara asked softly after a couple of minutes of silence.

"_No_." Pam shot back firmly, propping herself up against her elbow and taking Tara's face in her hand. "Don't _ever_ think that, ya hear?"

"It's just that…I never thought this could be a gift, ya know?" Tara said. "And now that you've said it, I can't stop thinkin' how that's just the way this feels. It feels like a gift." She finished softly, casting her glance down.

Tara had spent the years since the Revelation in hatred and fear of vampires and always thought of it as a curse. And then Pam stormed into her life and turned it upside down. After the events of the past couple of months, Tara was sure she was in love with her new life. She was also in love with the strong woman beside her, the woman who made herself so vulnerable in Tara's presence, thus making the strongest statement of trust possible.

"Hey." Pam said softly, putting her fingers under Tara's chin and lifting her head so that their eyes could meet, stormy blue and chocolate brown. "_You_ are a gift. Eric turning me had been the greatest gift anyone had ever given me until…" She swallowed hard. "Until _you_ came along. You are my greatest gift and the best thing I have ever done, the best thing that has ever happened to me." She finished.

It felt liberating, it felt right. She was done with running away, done with lying to herself. There was no point, not after she'd opened herself completely to Tara, helping her to tear down what little remained of the thick walls that once surrounded Pam's heart. The heart that was now singing and dancing with pure love.

* * *

Tara was immediately assaulted by utter sincerity and love from Pam's end of the bond. It was overwhelming and she couldn't help but kiss Pam as the last words rolled out of her mouth. It was a kiss full of love, adoration and gratitude. There was no fiery desire that usually came whenever the two of them kissed, it was a simple statement of love and acknowledgment, a simple promise. Simple, yet so heavy, with so many different layers to it.

Pam lay down on her back, pulling Tara on top of her, never breaking the kiss. It was slow and loving, a dance of their lips, one that was meant to utter all the words that were left unsaid. They would break the kiss only to look deeply in each other's eyes and slowly caress each other's face. There was no rush, no burning passion. There was only understanding and adoration.

They kept kissing for what seemed like hours, simply relishing in their closeness and the feel of their bodies touching. Without really thinking about it, Tara slipped one of her hands beneath her and settled it between Pam's thighs. A soft moan that escaped Pam's lips, snapped her back to reality.

"I'm sorry." She stuttered quickly, removing the hand from Pam's most intimate place and raising herself on her arms. "I wasn't thinking." She said, shaking her head. Everything Pam had told her earlier that evening clearly resonated in Tara's mind and she was convinced she had ruined a very special moment. She mentally cursed her baby vamp hormones and her unbelievable ability to act before thinking.

"No, Tara." Pam said softly, but firmly, looking into Tara's eyes.

She sat up so that her progeny was now straddling her and took her face in her hands. "I _want_ you. I _choose_ you."

She really meant it. She had actually chosen Tara a while back, but this was the first time she vocalized it. She had no doubts about her beautiful progeny, there was no fear. She trusted her completely. For the first time in 140 years, Pam trusted someone the way she didn't trust even Eric. No memories of her past hardships would keep her away from the loving woman that was now sitting on her lap, still unsure of herself.

"Ya hear me?" She pressed on, caressing Tara's face.

"Are you sure?" Tara asked as she bit her lip.

Pam locked their lips for a moment, sending all the assurance she could muster to Tara through their bond.

"Make love to me, Tara." She breathed out when she broke the kiss, causing a pair of blue and a pair of brown eyes to fill up with red tears momentarily.

Tara leaned in and kissed away the red liquid that adorned her maker's soft cheeks, tasting all the love in her blood. She slowly rid Pam of her shirt, putting her hands on her back immediately, roaming it slowly over her velvety skin, trying to feel every inch of it. Pam softly sighed into Tara's mouth and removed her shirt, desperate to feel her skin under the tips of her fingers. They stayed like that for a while, kissing and caressing each other, relishing in the sensation.

"Um…Tara." Pam said in between their kisses. "I need you to get us out of these clothes." She finished, a touch of mischief appearing in her eyes.

Tara took the hint and vamp sped through removing the rest of their clothes, settling in the same position just a couple of seconds later. They both shivered as their naked bodies made contact, jolts of energy coursing through them, making their heads spin. As she put her hands on her progeny's dark breasts and heard Tara groan in her mouth, Pam was sure this was as close to Heaven she would ever be. She trailed soft kisses down Tara's neck, never ceasing to slowly massage the mounds between her fingers.

When she descended all the way down and took one of the stiff dark nubs in her mouth, she heard Tara's soft gasp and the unmistakable click of her fangs. Tara's eyes closed and her head fell back as Pam's tongue slowly circled her nipple before moving to the other. She couldn't help but grind her lower body against her maker's belly, spreading the wetness of her arousal all over the milky skin. She could feel desire taking over her body and mind, fire burning deep inside of her.

She pushed Pam on her back and settled her body on top of hers. The feeling of their breasts touching and rubbing as Tara continued to grind against the blonde was simply exquisite. She pressed her lips against Pam's long neck and started kissing it feverously. She continuously grazed the flesh with her fangs, teasing it.

"Take it." Pam breathed out, knowing exactly what Tara needed.

Tara immediately sank her fangs in her maker's neck, her ears ringing with the sound of the blonde's fangs protracting. She moaned as the thick rich blood hit her tongue and assaulted all of her senses. No human blood would ever measure up to that of the woman that was now writhing beneath her in a haze of desire.

When she finally satisfied her bloodlust, at least for the moment, she moved up and kissed Pam who groaned as she tasted her blood on Tara's tongue. The kiss was no where near the gentle ones from the beginning of their love making session – this one was fire incarnated.

Tara broke the kiss after a couple of minutes only to move back down and focus all of her attention on Pam's supple vanilla breasts. She trailed kisses all over them, desperate to worship every single inch of the soft skin beneath her. She licked and sucked on each of the pink nubs, getting Pam to a frenzy state.

They both needed Tara to go lower – Pam was desperate for a release and Tara was aching to taste her, but they both didn't want to break the intimate contact they shared.

Feeling the shared doubt in their bond, Tara pulled Pam back up into a sitting position and straddled her left thigh. She groaned as she felt Pam's firm leg touch the center of her desire. She made sure her maker received the same attention, pushing her thigh hard against the blonde's wetness.

She started moving slowly, kissing Pam at the same time. As time went by, Tara's arousal took over and she started grinding against the thigh between her legs at a furious pace. They had to stop kissing since that act demanded too much concentration, something they didn't posses anymore. Instead, they pressed each other's foreheads together and looked at each other intently. Their moans and groans reverberated all through the silent winter night.

Tara could feel they were both nearing the end and she increased her pace even more. She took Pam's face between her palms, their foreheads never ceasing to touch.

"I love you." She said unbelievably softly, given the circumstances, and closed her eyes. It felt so natural and so right.

Pam's eyes opened wider. "You do?" She replied equally softly, trying hard to stifle her moans.

Tara's eyes opened and locked with Pam's. "Yes. I love you. I love you. I love you." She said, feeling better each time she repeated the words.

Tara continued the chant until they both exploded in a joined orgasm. Their heads fell back simultaneously from the sheer power of it and their cries filled the night. They felt as if they were floating above ground, their bodies jolting and twitching in a sacred union. White light burned behind their closed eyelids and their bond vibrated with satisfaction.

* * *

They calmed down slowly, their bodies still twitching occasionally, their breathing heavy. Pam kissed Tara, pressing their lips tightly together. She pulled back to take her progeny's face in her hands, in much the same fashion Tara did earlier and spoke.

"I love you, too." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I _love_ you. Don't ever doubt that."

It felt as if the heaviest of burdens was lifted off her chest, as if all the bad things she'd been through had a single purpose – bringing her to this very moment. She could feel peace envelop her entire being as she wiped away tears of joy from Tara's face. Nothing pained her, nothing worried her – she had everything she needed right in her arms and she was intent on never letting go.

They continued making love for hours, ceasing only to whisper sweet declarations of love to each other. They were so lost in each other that dawn almost caught them in the open. They went to ground there, having no time to safely get to a light tight space.

* * *

The cool January sun cast its false warmth over the clearing in the woods, faint yellow rays softly caressing the trees around it. Soft white snowflakes started falling from the sky, an extremely rare occurrence in Louisiana. They rushed toward the ground, covering everything in a thin layer of silky whiteness. Thousands of them fell upon the fresh earth that marked the resting place of two lovers. Tucked away safely under layers of warm ground, holding each other tightly, they dreamt of the life that was ahead of them.

Yes, snow in Louisiana was rare, but fitting. It was just as rare as two souls such as Pam and Tara's finding their way into a warm embrace. It didn't happen often, but when it did, you were sure you were experiencing something truly extraordinary.

* * *

_A/N: I really hope you liked it. Reviews?_

_And, as always, thank you for your overwhelming support. It means the world._


	20. Chapter 20

_A/N: This is it, guys, the end of the road. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for being with me on this journey, encouraging me along the way. Every single one of your reviews made my heart skip a beat and as I read through them now, I can't help but smile. Thank you so very much._

_The song featured is _Where I Sleep_ by Emely Sande. It is my ultimate Tamela song and I recommend you all to take at least one listen to it. _

_Also, for some reason, I think it was Halloween when Tara was turned. I stayed true to the show timeline, that's why a year later would be 2010 and not 2013.  
_

_I hope you like the conclusion of the story._

* * *

**Epilogue**

"_Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies."_

_Aristotle_

_31__st__ October, 2010_

A sound of a throaty chuckle rippled through the chilly London air on a late October night. A chuckle belonging to a dark skinned vampire, caused by her stumbling and almost falling, if it weren't for the strong arms of her blonde maker.

"You do know you have vampire senses, now do you?" The blonde drawled lazily, although her face was lit up with a full grin.

"You do know I'm blindfolded, now do you?" Her progeny replied in the same manner, an equally full grin adorning her face.

"We're almost there." Pam said as she set them in motion again, guiding Tara as they went.

They both relished in the sensation of soft grass teasing the soles of their feet, their shoes long forgotten. They also enjoyed the closeness their touch brought, even if it was only a measure of keeping Tara on her feet. Their bond buzzed with warmth, the same way the trees around them buzzed with life, full of nocturnal animals.

As she allowed Pam to guide her, Tara though back at the moment they decided to move to London. It was an easy decision for Tara, not so much for Pam. The last time Pam actually lived in the British capital was more than a century ago when she was still human and the circumstances of her moving away were everything but joyous and positive. Apart from a couple of sparse visits with Eric, she did her best to steer away from it. Besides, she wasn't sure Tara would like it.

Tara, on the other hand, was absolutely positive she wouldn't mind moving away from the US as long as one condition was satisfied – no parting from her maker. The image of Pam's crimson rimmed eyes staring deeply into her own as those exact words exited her mouth would be forever etched in the young vampire's mind. It really was that simple for Tara – as long as she was with Pam, she didn't care where she was.

_There's nowhere that I wouldn't follow,  
There's nothing that I won't do for your kiss,  
I love you like there's no tomorrow,  
Cause nothing ever felt like this._

* * *

"Ready?" The sweet voice of her maker brought Tara back to reality.

She nodded her head as she felt those soft fingers lift the piece of fabric from her face.

The young vampire was at a loss for words. She took in her surroundings slowly, roaming her gaze all around the place she was standing in. She focused on her feet and saw neatly trimmed green grass spread from around them to as far as she could see. It was so green her eyes almost hurt, a surprising color given the fact it was autumn.

She slowly lifted her eyes and locked them on the house in front of her. If it was fair to call the structure before her eyes a house, that is. It looked more like a castle. A very light pink castle, but a castle nevertheless. Built from big square stones from which several towers adorned with cone shaped roofs rode out to the sky, with huge white windows on each of the numerous walls, it truly was a sight to behold. Not to mention that it was probably the biggest house Tara had ever seen. And the most beautiful.

She could do nothing but gasp, searching for words that refused to come.

"You like it?" Pam whispered softly, her big blue eyes focused on her progeny's face.

Tara broke her intent gaze on the structure with some effort in order to look in her maker's direction.

"Are you kiddin' me?" She whispered, as if afraid to disturb the image that surrounded her whole being. It looked like something straight out of a fairy tale and fairy tales never happened to Tara Thornton, unless you count being with Pam as one.

"_This_ is where we're gonna live?" She added incredulously.

"Yes." Pam said with a wink of her eye and led Tara inside.

The look on Tara's face made Pam's heart jump with joy. She wanted nothing more but to make her progeny happy and she was intent on doing whatever it took to accomplish that.

_There's nothing I won't steal or borrow,  
I'll travel on a boat or aeroplane,  
I'll explore a world of sorrow,  
Cause when I find you I know,  
I know I'mma be OK._

* * *

If the exterior of the property managed to render Tara speechless, the interior almost made her faint. Pam led her throughout their new home, showing her every single one of its numerous rooms. It was a perfect combination of the old and the new. Huge golden oak bookshelves nestled beside windows with light tight shutters, the state of the art plasma television right above a beautifully ornamented Victorian fireplace, double doors made of solid oak leading into walk in closets the size of small houses. The whole house was decorated with lilies and roses which filled the space with an almost intoxicating scent.

Pam led Tara through the master bedroom on the second floor, which was _master _in every sense of the word and beyond, and finished their tour at the biggest terrace Tara had ever laid her eyes on.

Fighting the urge to settle herself on the plush pillows of the lounge area, the young vampire moved to the fence and let out a small gasp. Her eyes roamed the back lawn blanketed in that same green grass, small flower bushes and trees that extended all along the property, the natural look of it disturbed only by a big pool just in front of the thick pillars that supported the terrace.

"Wow." Tara breathed out. "I've never seen anythin' like this."

Pam smiled. "I lived in a similar house when I was human."

Tara arched her eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Pam's smile grew bigger. "Well, that house was bigger than this one, but yes, somethin' like that." She finished with a cheeky grin.

Pam wasn't sure why she'd picked a house so similar to her human home. She didn't really want to remember her human family and her human life and yet she felt truly drawn to it. Even she was perfectly aware of the fact that the house was too big for the two of them, but she simply wasn't able to resist buying it.

Tara rolled her eyes playfully and placed a soft peck on her maker's lips.

"So this is really yours?" She continued as she broke the kiss, her gaze back to wondering along the lawn.

Pam smiled and moved behind Tara, wrapping her arms around her firm abdomen. She inhaled deeply as she felt her progeny relax into her embrace, her scent filling her nostrils. They both cherished these small signs of affection and engaged in them as much possible. The simple act of being close to each other and touching each other filled their whole beings with peace.

"Not mine." She whispered softly into Tara's ear. "Yours."

"What?" Tara's brows furrowed in confusion although she stayed in the same position, relishing in her maker's soft touch.

"It's _yours_." Pam whispered with a smile. "Your name is on all the papers related to this property."

Tara turned around, her mouth open, her eyes wide. "W-What? But…Why?" She stammered.

Pam smiled and cupped her progeny's face in her hands. "You've told me numerous times how you came from nothing and how you had to fight for everything you had." She said softly.

Tara's eyes filled with crimson tears at those words, the love coming from Pam's end of the bond rocking her very core.

"And I'm proud of you for that." Pam continued as the first red tears started their descent down chocolate colored cheeks. She kissed them away, feeling her progeny tremble at the touch of her lips. Pam also had to fight for everything she had and it was easy for her to relate to Tara in that matter. Actually, she could relate to Tara in a lot of things. It still surprised her how similar they both were.

"But I want you to know that, for as long as I walk this Earth, you shall not want for anything. This is only the beginning." She finished with a smile.

She took the now sobbing Tara in a tight embrace, slowly whispering how she would never let her go and how it was okay. It felt liberating to let go like that, to give in to her feelings. She knew for sure that the woman that was now softly crying in her arms was the most important person in her life. No, she was more than that. She was the love of her life. She came along at a point in Pam's life when the tough blonde had already forgotten what it's like to feel, what it's like to give oneself to another. She rocked her world in every sense of the word and Pam now knew it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. This young stubborn woman changed her, forced her to become a better person and she would be forever grateful for that.

_See the times are changing,  
And I'm sure of nothing that I know,  
Except this is us, and this is love, and this is where I'm home.  
In a world that's breaking, where nothing is for keeps,  
Oh this is us, this is love and this is where I sleep._

Tara could feel her knees buckling beneath her and, for the second time that night, she was able to remain on her feet only thanks to Pam. Thinking about that, the young vampire realized that everything she'd done in the past year, she could thank her maker for. If it weren't for the strong beautiful blonde holding her up, Tara would be under the cold Bon Temps ground, decaying away. Instead, she received the greatest gift of all – she was able to spend an eternity with the person she loved more than anything and anyone else in the world.

If someone had bought a human Tara anything, not to mention a real life castle in England, she would have spat in their face and stormed away, never to return again. She never responded well to being looked down upon, to being seen as a charity case. But this was different. Pam didn't look down upon her, she looked at her as her equal, as her partner. She wanted to share everything with her. Thanks to their bond, Tara was able to confirm that Pam's actions were based on love and love only. That is why this Tara wouldn't storm away, not ever. She would stay and share her life with the beautiful woman before her. For the first time in her life, she was in a state of total and utter peace.

_I'm from a generation undecided,  
I'm restless and I can't help changing lanes,  
But in all the noise and the excitement,  
Your love is all that will remain._

"Happy Deathday, my love." Pam whispered softly, chuckling at the expression which meant to vampires what birthdays meant to humans.

Tara swallowed hard and looked up, her eyes glistening with all the tears she'd shed in the last couple of minutes.

"No." She said, shaking her head slowly. "It's my _birthday_. I was born the night you found me." She said with conviction in her voice. Thinking back on it, Tara was absolutely positive that the last year of her life was the best year of her existence. Who could have thought that it would take her to become a vampire in order to achieve that?

Pam inhaled deeply and locked their lips in a loving kiss. She had no other answer to Tara's words. As their lips and tongues danced, their bond vibrated with satisfaction and happiness. There wasn't a single place in the whole wide world either of them would have rather been at that moment than in each other's arms.

Pam forced herself to break the kiss, however.

"I need to take care of something. You get cleaned up and I'll be back before you know it." She placed another quick kiss on Tara's lips and then she was gone.

* * *

Pam crept silently across an old London cemetery, located just on the outskirts of the city. It looked old and unattended, and rightfully so – the last inhabitant of that eternal resting place died in 1940. She came to a stop after a while, crouching in front of an old headstone.

"Hello, father." She whispered softly in a posh British accent as her eyes ran across the inscription on the hard stone in front of her.

_Christopher Marcellus Swynford de Beaufort_

_Beloved husband and father_

A bitter smile appeared on her face for a fraction of a second.

"It's been a long time." She said as her mind flashed back to the last image of her father stored in her memory. Standing on the docks, his body rigid, his face a cold stone – much like the one that marked his resting place.

The date of his death caught her eye.

_20__th__ April, 1905_

The same night Eric turned her. He met his demise on the same night his daughter finally escaped the terror he put her in. Pam couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, I guess karma's a bitch." She chuckled , thinking how much her father would disapprove of her choice of words, especially since they were uttered in her perfect upper class accent.

"I came to thank you." She said in a serious manner. "If you hadn't been such a bastard, I would have never known the happiness I know tonight."

It was funny in a way. Nothing in her long life had managed to hurt Pam the way her father hurt her when he sent her away. It was the single most disturbing memory of hers. It was the demon that crept deep inside of her whenever she let her guard down. And yet, it was that act and that act alone that led her to the moment she was in, to the happiness and love she felt now.

Who knows how her life would have turned out had he accepted her apology. Pam had an idea. She would have married some stuck up man, probably years older than herself, birthed his children, took care of them and died. Even back then, as a twenty year old girl, she knew she was capable of more. She would have never been happy with simply being a wife and a mother, putting a fake smile on her face, socializing with other stuck up members of the elite and then simply dying to be forgotten. No, she wanted and deserved more. Her father ended up doing her a favor.

"I came to forgive you, father." She whispered as a single crimson tear escaped her eye. "I forgive you." She repeated, placing her palm on the cold stone.

She stayed like that for a couple of minutes, reliving all her happy memories with her father, remembering the love and admiration she felt for him.

Taking a deep breath, she rose gracefully and turned her back to him. Before walking away, she spared him one last glance and a couple of words.

"Oh, it's a girl. I thought you should know." With a devilish grin on her lips, she sped away to her progeny.

As she ran through the cold night, Pam felt free. She felt at peace. The final weight was lifted off her chest at last. She wouldn't let anyone stand in the way of her happiness, not even her father, her biggest demon. All the darkness disappeared the moment an image of Tara's face appeared in her mind, her eyes loving, her grin pearly white.

_I've said all of my goodbyes to ego,  
I gambled all I got, there's no plan B,  
It's the first time that I've learnt to let go,  
It's the only place I feel, only place I feel like me._

* * *

Pam pulled to a stop in front of the pool, enjoying the sight of her progeny enveloped in water and nothing else.

"There you are." Tara grinned when her eyes locked on her maker. "Where were you?"

"Had to visit an old friend." Pam drawled lazily, her hand on her hip.

Tara furrowed her brows for a moment, but concluded she didn't really need to know where Pam had been. She was with her now and that was all that mattered.

"Come." She said.

Pam needed no other invitation. She rid herself of her clothes in a matter of seconds and jumped in the pool, splashing water all over Tara. She emerged and instantly wrapped her legs around her progeny's slender waist, pulling her closer to herself.

"I love you, Tara." She whispered softly, their lips almost touching, their eyes locked intently on each other.

Tara released a satisfied sigh as she pulled Pam in a tight embrace, enjoying the bliss their closeness brought to her.

"I love you, too. More than words could ever say." With that, she locked their lips in a searing kiss.

As their kisses became more passionate and their touches more urgent, the two women were sure of one thing – they were in love. Deeply, madly in love. They were given a gift most people spent their whole lives searching for and they were intent on cherishing it.

Their bond sang with love, desire, passion, trust.

The full moon above them and thousands of stars that adorned the clear night sky were the only witnesses to their final coming together. Their pledge of unconditional love. A secret promise of an eternity sealed with thousands of kisses and soft touches. An eternity of nights filled with laughter and joy.

_This is us, this is love and this is where I sleep._

* * *

_A/N: I would love to receive some final reviews from you. And, once again, thank you for all of the wonderful ones that have found their way to this story.  
_

_I will now finish my other fic which I have neglected and will also engage in some Tamela one shots. If you have some suggestions or wishes, feel free to leave them in your reviews or in PMs.  
_

_Much love,  
_

_Truebie  
_


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